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make-me-imagine · 5 months ago

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Something Perfect, Something New

Plot: Geon-Woo and Woojin hit it off with the new server at Geon-Woo's mothers cafe, more than any of them are expecting.

Pairing: Geon-Woo x Gn!Reader x Woojin

Request: reader recently moving to Korea (you don’t have to be specific about where she’s from) and taking on a job as a barista in Gun-woo’s mum’s cafe? (I’d imagine she has bigger aspirations later on but we all need to start somewhere, right?) And while the dude bros pay a visit to Gun-woo’s mum they also meet her and hit it off? This can evolve into something romantic for sure ✨

Requested by: @auraee

Warnings: Mentions of being followed/stalked towards the end, creepy guy. but don't worry Geon-woo and Woojin come to the rescue. References to a Poly-Relationship.

A/n's: I hope you meant for this to elude to a poly relationship because that's what happened! lol I see Geon-Woo's name spelled different all the time so I hope I went with the correct spelling (its geon-woo in show descriptions, and gun-woo in translations, but idk which one it really is) I started writing this a few months ago and just came back to it, so if you notice a change in tone or vibes halfway through that's why.

Words: ~4.4k

You smiled brightly at a couple leaving the cafe as you said goodbye. The evening was drawing near, as was the end of your first week at your new job.

After making the sudden, and quite terrifying decision to leave everything behind and move to Seoul to start over, you landed a job at a cafe.

The owner, Yoo So-Yeon had been gone for a while after her cafe was nearly destroyed by debt collectors. She had told you about how her son and his best-friend helped her, and she finally felt secure enough to come back. Though she didn't give much detail, you could tell the ordeal had a toll on her and her family.

You had heard she needed help after re-opening and were lucky enough to land the job. Now you were settling in and trying to discover yourself all over again.

"Quite a busy day today huh?" Mrs. Yoo said with a smile as she walked past you.

You nodded as you finished cleaning off a table, "Nothing we can't handle though."

She let out a soft laugh as she patted your shoulder. She was fond of you, and you of her. She helped you get settled into the unfamiliar city, and had even cooked for you various times. You were glad you met her.

Hearing the cafe door open you glanced up, wondering if someone missed the 'CLOSED' sign Mrs. Yoo had just put up. Seeing two tall attractive men enter you felt your heart skip a beat.

"Ah, there you two are!" Mrs. Yoo greeted happily as she walked over to the two grinning men.

'That must be her son and his friend.'

You watched them for a minute as they spoke, before the one you assumed was Mrs. Yoo's son, due to the scar on his face she had mentioned, glanced over and caught sight of you.

You felt your heart jolt as you bowed your head lightly in greeting and smiled.

Mrs. Yoo followed Geon-Woo's line of sight and exclaimed with a small clap. "Oh, yes! You finally get to meet!"

Mrs. Yoo walked over to you before grabbing you by the wrist and leading you over to the two men.

"This is Y/n, the one who I hired to help. Y/n, this is my son Geon-Woo and this is Woojin."

You smiled at them, "It's nice to finally meet you."

The two of them bowed in greeting smiling at you. Geon-Woo had known his mother hired you, but hadn't made the trip over to meet you, seeing you now, he wished he had.

His heart was hammering in his chest, and as Woojin subtly nudged his arm, he knew his friend was feeling the same thing.

Now sitting around one of the tables, Mrs. Yoo brought over some coffee. You could feel Woojin and Geon-Woo eyeing you, and every time you looked at them they quickly looked away.

You wondered if they feared you would do Mrs. Yoo harm after all that had happened to her. But this fear of suspicion quickly faded as they started asking you questions and talking energetically, as if they were just curious about you.

Your conversation with the two men lasted almost two hours, and you tried to ignore the sly and amused looks Mrs. Yoo was giving the three of you. You couldn't help but wonder if she might try and set you up with one of them.

Eventually, Mrs. Yoo told you to go home before it got too late. The two men offered to walk you home, and after an attempted refusal that went unheard, you gave in and allowed it.

Your conversation flowed as you walked home, and by the time you got to your door, you felt as though you had known the two for ages.

Three weeks had passed since your first meeting with Geon-Woo and Woojin. You had become closer to them than you had expected in the short time you knew them. They came to the cafe almost every day, gave you tours of the city, took you out to eat, and even helped you build the new furniture you bought for your apartment.

The seemed to always be around you now, and you weren't complaining one bit, you even started to miss them after being away from them for short periods.

Mrs. Yoo teased you about them being your boyfriends. You thought she just enjoyed the way it made you bashful and embarrassed. You hadn't quite understood just how serious she was yet.

On the outside, it was nearly impossible to tell who you were dating between them, if either, or both.

It was obvious something was developing between the three of you, but what, you weren't quite sure of yet. You were too afraid to focus on the 'what ifs' that you ignored what was already happening.

Woojin sighed as he stretched his arm across your shoulders, smiling at the new bed finally set up in your bedroom.

"See? Told you it would be worth it."

Goo-Wan smiled proudly as he started to open the new sheets you had bought for the bed.

"I still think it's too big." You said while eyeing the large mattress. You were glad to be rid of the air mattress you had been sleeping on, but this was...a bit much.

You missed how Goo-Wan and Woojin locked eyes as they began unraveling the absurdly large fitted sheet that would surely be a pain in the ass to put on.

You giggled at the two as they struggled to put the sheet on, each opposite corner coming undone as soon as they finished one.

When finished, they high fived in celebration before sitting on the end of the bed. As the looked at you with grins you felt you heart flutter before clearing your throat.

"You know I'm gonna make you two come over and do that every time I have to change the sheets right?"

They chuckled, sharing another look before turning towards you.

"How about some lunch?"

They nodded energetically and followed you out of the room. You promised them whatever they wanted for helping you finish setting up your apartment. It was the least you could do.

Watching Geon-Woo strategically time flipping the meat on the barbecue, you slowly sipped at your drink. You were overly aware of the nearby table of girls eyeing the two curiously as they whispered.

You hated that it annoyed you, so you tried your best to ignore it. Its not like you were dating them.

Looking away from the girls, your eyes locked with a mans at a nearby table. You involuntarily made a soft noise of shock at the sudden eye contact as the man smirked and winked at you.

You looked away quickly, but Woojin noticed the action. He looked back at the man before he gave an obvious look of annoyance as the guy continued to stare at you.

Woojin took a piece of meat and set it on top of your rice as he spoke somewhat loudly, "Here jagiya."

Your eyes shot up in surprise, as Geon-Woo quickly looked over at Woojin as well.

Woojin looked over at Geon-Woo before subtly motioning his head to the man nearby. Geon-woo looked back, seeing the man looking between you and Woojin, a somewhat amused smirk on his face before he eyed you knowingly.

Geon-Woo swallowed as his chest tightened with his own annoyance at the man, understanding what Woojin was doing. Geon-Woo, deciding to do the same, grabbed a few veggies as he placed them on your plate.

"Have some of these too jagiya."

Your mouth was now agape as Geo-Woo joined Woojin in his attempt at shooing off the stranger. You saw the girls nearby eye each other in surprise as they began whispering more.

You leaned forward as you spoke in a bewildered tone, "What are you doing?"

Woojin and Geon-Woo locked eyes for a second before they looked back at you, "Making sure that guy doesn't do anything."

You glanced at the man as he now avoided looking over at you. "What makes you think he was going to do anything?"

Woojin scoffed softy, "Oh please he was looking at you like he wanted to eat you."

You grimaced at the expression as you shook your head, making Geon-Woo and Woojin smirk.

Looking over at Geon-Woo you frowned, "Why'd you join in too? Now we're being gossiped about."

You motioned your head towards he girls who were still talking in hushed voices, but obviously about the three of you.

Geon-Woo and Woojin thought for a second before shrugging and speaking at the same time, "So?"

You stared at them bewildered, "It doesn't bother you?"

They shook they're head as Geon-Woo asked in an innocent tone, "Why would it?"

"Yeah, it's not like we're offended at the thought of dating you." Woojin added.

You felt your neck and ears grow hot, "But you made it sound like you were both dating me."

They nodded softly as if that was obvious and you blinked a few times unsure of what to say now. Woojin let out a soft laugh at your perplexed expression.

"Cute." He mumbled, making your ears burn even hotter.

You glared at him, "Don't tease me."

Geon-Woo laughed under his breath as Woojin stared at you with a challenging glare. "Make me."

You stuck your tongue out at him as you began picking at your food in an attempt to get past the almost overwhelming shyness washing over you. Geon-Woo and Woojin shared a knowing smile as they watched you in adoration.

Making it back to the cafe, you entered to find a few customers scattered around, as Mrs. Yoo had a conversation with another from behind the counter. Spotting the three of you, she waved in greeting.

Heading to the back to get your name-tag and apron, you were glad you didn't come to work during a rush, afraid you had left Mrs. Yoo to fend on her own for too long.

Coming back out, Woojin and Geon-Woo were at the counter talking with her. Seeing you she motioned you over and talked in a soft voice as she motioned to a young man in the corner.

"Your admirer is here."

You glanced at the man and let out a soft scoff, "Have you taken his order?"

"He says he wasn't ready yet. I think he was just waiting for you." She winked teasingly as you left with a soft shake of the head before heading over to the table.

Mrs. Yoo looked over at Woojin and Geon-Woo and repressed a laugh at their glare towards the man.

Woojin turned to Mrs. Yoo and spoke in a hushed and annoyed tone. "Admirer? Who is he?"

"A customer who came in once, and ever since he met Y/n has been coming every day since. But he only orders when Y/n is here."

Geon-Woo and Woojin looked back to watch you. You smiled politely at the man as you took his order. Their chests both clenched tightly as the man stared at you intensely with a smile, obviously crushing on you.

Heading back to the counter, you handed Mrs. Yoo the man's order.

"Did he ask you out yet?"

You spared a glance at Geon-Woo and Woojin and were almost thrown off by their intense stares.

You cleared your throat softly, "He asked when I was getting off work but I just told him I'm not sure. I'm not interested in him like that."

Mrs. Yoo nodded her head in understanding as she glanced at the two boys with an amused smile.

You looked over at the two and paused, "What?"

Woojin spoke with a bold tone, "You should tell him straight that you are not interested."

"I don't want to hurt his feelings."

Geon-Woo leaned closer, "He might get bolder though if you don't stop it now."

You bit the inside of your lip as you glanced back at the man, finding him looking away swiftly.

You sighed, "You're probably right."

Woojin nodded, "We are."

You looked back over at them again, noticing the change in their behavior. It was almost as if they were jealous again.

"Weren't you guys going to the gym to practice?"

Checking the time they both startled, "Ah we're gonna be late."

Woojin ruffled your hair as a goodbye as Geon-Woo went behind the counter to say goodbye to his mother before he gently squeezed your shoulder as he left. You waved goodbye to them before catching the man in the corners eye again. Your chest tightened as you felt a bit guilty at the thought of rejecting him when he hasn't even made a move. What if he just wanted a friend?

Getting back to work, you paid more attention to the customer. Noting that he stayed longer than usual, well after he had finished his food. When he eventually left, you let out a sigh of relief, suddenly realizing just how much his attention weighed on you. You hadn't noticed before, but now that you did, you felt a bit overwhelmed by it. Maybe it would be best to show your disinterest.

Flipping the sign from Open to Closed, you big farewell to Mrs. Yoo as she left, heading out to have dinner with her friends.

You kept the cafe open for longer than usual to let a group celebrate a birthday. But it meant you were now leaving after it got dark.

Checking over the cafe one more time as you shut everything off, you left the cafe and looked around at the darkened sky. Looking down the road, your heart jolted a bit as you noticed a hooded figure lingering on the corner of the road.

Seeing they were standing under a Bus Stop sign you let out a soft sigh. "Don't overreact Y/n."

Turning away, you began heading down the road towards your apartment. It was about a fifteen minute walk, and the night was cool and quiet. You took in a deep breath, picking up on the hint of barbecue nearby, reminding you of how hungry you were.

Walking past a few shops, your eyes caught on the reflection of the road behind you. Yours steps hesitated as your heart sank. The hooded figure from before was across the street from you, and walking the same direction.

You let out a steady breath as you continued walking. "Don't assume, but be cautious." You told yourself, as you kept a vigilant eye and ear out.

Noticing the figure crossing the street and remaining behind you, you decided to test your theory. At the next cross-walk you crossed the street, and your heart raced when the figure did the same. Next you turned down a road you never take, and they followed. You crossed the street again, and so did they.

Having enough, you reached into your pocket and texted your group-chat with Geon-Woo and Woojin.

"Are either of you awake?"

A moment later a text from Geon-Woo came through.

"We're at the gym, what's up?"

"I'm walking home, and I think I'm being followed."

Only a few moments passed before your phone rang. Answering it you heard their concerned voices over the line and the sound of them grabbing their stuff.

"Where are you?" "Are you okay? Why are you out so late."

Already feeling more relieved to be talking to them, you kept glancing at the reflection behind you, still seeing the figure.

"The cafe closed late because of a party. I'm getting close to that store we get our smoothies from."

You heard Geon-Woo's voice in the background, "We're about five minutes from there."

"Go into the store and stay there. Don't let them get near you okay?"

"Okay."

"Stay on the line with me."

As you got closer to the store, you could hear Woojin and Geon-Woo on the line, obviously rushing out of the gym and running. Your heart raced with adrenaline, but also gratitude of Woojin and Geon-Woos care for you. You desperately wanted them there with you now, but took relief in knowing they were coming to find you.

"I'm at the store." You said softly as you entered, sparing a glance back to see the figure was closer than before.

They hesitated as you headed inside. You hoped they wouldn't come in, or would pass by and give up on following you.

As you smiled at the cashier who barely spared you a glance, you headed to the back of the store and acted as tough you were browsing. Hearing the bell of the store as the door opened and closed, your heart dropped as you saw the hooded figure enter the store.

You made sure to keep your distance and you maneuvered through the store, grabbing a few things here and there.

You whispered into the phone, "They came in."

"We're almost there!" You heard a panting Woojin on the line.

You swallowed nervously as you rounded the corner again, the figure getting too close for comfort. Finally hearing the door of the store open with a clang you looked over to see Woojin and Geon-Woo.

You let out a sigh of relief as your body seemed to relax from the building tension in your muscles. As they hurried through the store to you, they glanced at the hooded figure who was only on isle away. The person turned away as Woojin and Geon-Woo approached you.

Woojin spoke out loud, obviously so the person would hear him. "Jagiya there you are. Sorry we're late."

As he got to you he set his hand on your shoulder and nodded. You nodded in return as Geon-Woo reached you, "Are you okay?"

You nodded at him as he gently pulled you to his chest, "Let's go okay?"

Agreeing, you headed to the front, as Geon-Woo took the things from your hand and paid for them, his arm remaining wrapped across your shoulder.

Woojin looked back at the figure and saw his eyes. His face dropped as he was sure it was the customer from the cafe. The figure quickly left the store, avoiding eye contact. Woojin's heart raced in anger as he barely resisted the urge to chase after him. but not wanting to freak you out more, he resisted, knowing he would need to do something later.

Heading back into the street, Geon-Woo and Woojin looked around for any sight of the man. Not seeing him they let out sighs.

Woojin cursed under his breath, "I knew he would do something."

You looked at Woojin in surprise. "He?"

"It was the guy from the cafe."

Your heart jolted, but it made unfortunate sense. A few days prior, you had finally made it clear to the man at the cafe that you were not interested. He asked for your number, and you rejected him. Kindly, you had hoped. But his demeanor changed, and he left silently. You hadn't seen him again since except for once, when you saw him lingering outside the cafe, looking in at you.

"You rejected him but he couldn't take it."

Woojin's words made you shudder and Geon-Woo pulled you closer. "Don't worry we'll handle it okay? I promise." Woojin nodded in agreement.

Their words consoled you as you let them walk you home, allowing them to remind you to never walk home this late without one of them being with you.

The whole way, you continued to glance around, fearing he was still lingering. Geon-Woo and Woojin feared the same, so once they got you to your apartment, they had a conversation while you were in the bathroom.

When you came back out, now in your pajamas, they had made themselves at home on the couch as Woojin ordered food over the phone.

"You're hungry right?" Geon-Woo asked and you nodded, feeling much safer knowing they were there, but fearing when they would leave.

Sitting down on the floor in front of them as you leaned on the table you looked at Geon-Woo. "Should I call the main office and ask the security to look out for him?"

Geon-Woo moved from the couch to the floor in front of you, "We already did."

You nodded, "That makes me feel better. I wont be awake all night."

Geon-Woo smiled softly, "You don't need to worry, we'll be here."

You rose your brow, "You will?"

Woojin hung up the phone and joined the two of you on the floor. "We're staying tonight, we decided."

"O-oh. I mean...that does make me feel better, but are you sure? I don't want to-"

"We want too." Geon-Woo broke in.

Woojin nodded, "We'd feel a lot better staying with you, to make sure you're safe."

You smiled, "I'd feel better too."

After you ate and watched a movie, Woojin and Geon-Woo started to get ready for bed. Meanwhile, you grabbed what extra blankets and pillows you had and began making the living room comfortable.

Geon-Woo, coming out of the bathroom and seeing you, questioned you. "What are you doing?"

"Making it more comfortable for you."

"But we're not sleeping out here."

You stopped and eyed him, "Huh? Then where?"

Hearing a noise in your bedroom, you frowned as Geon-Woo repressed a smile watching as you headed towards the sound. Turning off the lights and checking the door, he grabbed the pillows before following behind.

Finding Woojin in your bedroom, fixing the bed, you watched him in confusion.

He glanced over at you, and spotting Geon-Woo behind you and smiled. "Ah perfect."

Walking over, he took the pillows from him before setting them on the bed.

"What are you doing?"

He looked over at you, "Getting ready for bed?"

"In...my bed?"

He looked at the bed, then to you, then to Geon-Woo and back to you before nodding. "Why do you think we got you such a big mattress?"

Your mouth was agape for a moment as you tried to find words. "S- So you could sleep in the bed with me?"

He nodded as he grinned, finding your realization and bewilderment adorable. Geon-Woo walked past you and finished helping Woojin fix the bed before they both turned towards you expectantly.

You looked between them, before they motioned for you, "Come on."

Hesitantly, you approached, "Which side do you-"

"You get the middle." Woojin broke in.

"The middle?"

"You'll be safest there." Geon-Woo excused.

"And warmest." Woojin added with a smile.

You nodded mutely as you slowly climbed into the bed, your heart racing as they climbed in after. You lied on your back and stared up at the ceiling, overly aware of how close they got to you. Woojin was facing you as Geon-Woo was still sitting up against the back of the bed, looking down at you.

Your mind was still stuck on the fact that they bought you the giant bed for the purpose of sharing. Finally breaking the tense silence, you looked between them. "But you didn't know something like this would happen so why would you be prepared to have a big bed to share with me?"

They shared a glance and smiled before Woojin cleared his throat, "Are you sure you don't know why?"

Your mind flashed back to the various times they flirted, made jokes, or acted as though they were both dating you. The various comments from Mrs. Yoo about them being your boyfriends, or you being like a child to her already.

Looking between Woojin and Geon-Woo again as they smiled softly and knowingly at you, you felt your whole body get hot with embarrassment and nervousness.

Grabbing the blanket you slowly pulled it upwards until your face was hidden.

Woojin and Geon-Woo both chuckled before they climbed further into the bed. You felt them both beside you, and were sure they were facing you.

Feeling Woojin grab the blanket you tightened your grip as he tried to remove it from your head. You heard Geon-Woo chuckle softly as Woojin pulled harder.

"Jagiya" He said softly, making your heart leap.

Suddenly the blanket was yanked from your hands again and you were met with Woojin and Geon-Woo's smiling faces as they lied facing you, sandwiching you between them.

"You don't have to be scared, or worried." Geon-Woo began.

Woojin followed, "We're still figuring this out too. We never expected to meet someone we would both have such strong feelings for."

Geon-Woo reached over and gently caressed your cheek, "We want to be with you, and protect you, and make you happy. If you'll let us."

"It might take some time to get used to the idea, but we'll wait for you." Woojin finished.

You looked between them, your heart racing faster than ever before. "But what if it doesn't work out? Or what if it causes problem's between you?"

They looked at each other and shook their heads gently. Woojin met your eyes, "We've been talking about this for a while, and I really don't think that will happen. But if it starts too I promise we will work it out. We want to make this work. We want to be with you. So we'll go slowly from here okay? But we want you to know our intentions."

"Is that okay with you?" Geon-Woo asked softly.

You thought for a moment, aware of their gazes on you as they waited patiently, though nervously.

It was obvious you had developed feelings for both of them, and your fear of choosing, or being rejected had both been subdued. You weren't sure if it was going to work out. But you knew how you felt now. You adored them, and trusted them, and felt safe with them. You believed their words, and you wanted to be with them too.

Nodding slowly, you looked between them, and they smiled, relief and joy washing over them.

Woojin, overcome by his giddiness leaned forward and pressed a sloppy kiss to your cheek, making you chuckle out of surprise. Geon-Woo chuckled as well, before he leaned forward and pressed a much more delicate kiss to your temple.

After a few more adjustments, you found yourself comfortably and safely drifting to sleep as Woojin and Geon-Woo slept on either side of you, their arms draped across you as they both held you close.

xx End xx

Wasn't sure where to end it, so I chose to stop here. This became a bit of an indulgence fic, but if there is anyone who wants a part two, or continuance of this fic/relationship, let me know, I would def be willing to write it!

General Taglist: @criminaly-supernatural, @imaginesfire, @onuen, @witchygagirl, @alexxavicry,

-Taglist Form-

#Bloodhounds imagine #bloodhounds kdrama imagine #kim geon-woo x reader #kim gun-woo x reader #kim gun-woo imagine #kim geon-woo imagine #bloodhounds x reader #hong woojin x reader #hong wooin/reader #hong woojin imagine #woo do hwan imagine #lee sang yi imagine #gunwoo x reader x woojin #geon woo/reader #geon woo x reader #kim geon woo x reader #kim geon woo/reader #bloodhounds fic #bloodhounds/reader

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bisousbabe · 11 months ago

Text

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Pairing: woojin x reader

Rating: 18+

Warnings: detailed smut. small fluff parts if you squint.

Author’s Notes: again, this post and anything on this account is for the 18+ community. MDNI. Also, it’s not proof read, so there’s that, lol. Hope you enjoy this one too.

NSFW ALPHABET

A: Aftercare

He’s a talker. Sometimes he doesn’t know when to stop— but after sex and aftercare, he says the sweetest things and praises you to no end. Followed my face kisses. He truly adores you and these are one of those times he’ll show you everything.

B: Body Part (favorite body part on you)

There’s no other way to say it. This guy is 200% a boob lover. He can’t stop staring at your breast, especially when you’re getting dressed. Doesn’t matter how you think they look. He loves them and can’t keep his hands to himself.

C: Cum

Messy, boy. Woo-jin loves cumming on your breast. For whatever reason, it just turns him on knowing that he’s made a mess on you. And when you become an even bigger tease and smear his cum over your breast, he absolutely loses his mind.

D: Dirty Secret

This man can’t keep a secret to save his life. He’s completely open about what he does and doesn’t like and what he’s done.

He’s asked before doing them and when you’ve given him the green light, he’ll jump right at the chance. He even allowed you to go through his phone —smirking the entire time as you scroll through it— you dound pictures of you. Well.. what’s under your skirt. The second you’re in a skirt or dress, he’ll snap one or two pictures. It’s even to the point where he’d tell you how pretty it looks and if you’re not wearing panties, you’re not leaving the house.

The whole ordeal makes you blush, but knowing that’s what he has in his phone turns you into a flustered little mess of shyness and arousal.

E: Experience

Somewhat experienced. He’s had a few partners here and there, so he knows what to do and where everything is, but when you two first slept together he’d always want you and only you.

F: Favorite Position

Now, although he’s obsessed with your breast, he can’t help but fuck you from behind. Backshots is the way to go.

Most of it has to do with how pretty you sound to him when screaming his name. First time he got that reaction from you, he knew he’d never be able to get enough.

G: Gentle

When he’s making love to you. That’s when he’s the most gentle with you and that’s how you both love it. He’s a strong man who has complete control over himself, so knowing he’s holding back to caress every inch of you makes you fall for him even harder.

H: Hair ( how well groomed they are )

Woojin shaves completely. It’s not that you nor he has a problem with hair, he just sweats a lot and thinks it’s best if there’s none there.

I: Intimacy

Extremely passionate— regardless with how easy it is to dominate you in bed, whether it’s mindless fucking or making love. There’s passion in everything he does to and for you.

J: Justification (reasons they give to have sex)

He’s horny for you. The more domestic things you do together, the more he wants you. Cooking dinner together— he’ll find someway to fuck you against the table after. Doing laundry? You’re pressed against that old, vibrating washing machine, taking everything he’s giving you.

K: Kinks

There’s a few. Both of you can’t help but to want these things equally.

• katoptronophilia- you both have come to like watching yourselves have sex in front of a mirror. it happened when you were picking him up late at night from the gym and neither one of you could take your eyes off your reflections.

• impact play- he’ll only spank you. you secretly loved it and when he first did the lewdest moan left your lips. now you two tease each other about you getting “spankings” and him just slapping your ass always seems to get you two started.

L: Locaation (their favorite place to do it)

At the gym— AFTER HOURS— because there’s big mirrors where you two can watch yourself go at it like feral fiends.

M: Masturbation

When he can’t be around you for a few days because of business or training for the boxing championship, he’ll take care of himself but there’s just something about mutual masturbation. Letting you watch him stroke himself to the thought of you just as you rub your clit at the sight turn him on. He doesn’t understand how you can be so sexy.

N: No (things he will not do, turn offs, etc.)

Woojin is quite adventurous. He’ll try anything once and as long as you’re okay with doing it. If it’s not something one of or neither of you like, then it’s an absolute no.

Sex is intimate and should be enjoyed and consensual with both parties. That’s all there is to it and he wants you to feel safe and comfortable just as much as you want the same for him.

O: Oral (giving or receiving, skills)

Mister can’t stop talking has the mouth of a god. First time he even went down on you, it was the most quietest you’ve ever seen him been— apart from the moans and whines that slip from his full mouth.

He’s pussydrunk and could eat you out for hours. If you don’t stop him— you’d be a tremble and babbling mess from the sensitivity from orgasming repeatedly.

P: Possessive (how possessive is he)

Woojin is very possessive. 100/10.

If he sees another man in your vicinity, he’s watching like a hawk. If they get too close or touch you, he’s right there wrapping his arm around your waist or placing his hand on the small of your back.

When you’re alone, you tell him that he doesn’t have to worry and he doesn’t. He completely trust you but he wants to hear how you’re his and his only.

Q: Quickie

If there’s a bathroom, you two are sneaking off. It might not always be sex in itself— it can be oral, handjob/fingering or even basically dry humping each other til you cum.

He wants you just as much as you want him and sometimes you just need to help each other release to focus.

R: Risk

He’s very respectful, with the light praise when you two have sex but.. dirty talk is a risk he wanted to take. He wondered how you’d react to it.

You both have spoken about it before but never paid much attention to doing it, so with enough courage and blinded by complete lust and want for you he started to dirty talk. It caught you off guard but once he started it was mind blowing.

It started off as teasing, but then it became filthy and detailed. No man has ever made you feel so aroused. Commenting on the lewd sounds of your moans, how wet you were and how you covered his cock in your arousal. He even ordered you to orgasm and just like that, you came on demand.

You guys don’t do it all the time, but somehow he knows when to talk to you in such a way.

S: Stamina

Woojin can go all night. If not the same amount of stamina, he has more than you and will wear you out. Leaving you completely fucked out and satisfied, something no other man has even been able to do for you.

T: Tease ( how likey they are to tease, etc. )

Tease is Woojin’s middle name. He LOVES to tease you verbally and through text. It always catches you off guard and he knows that. You feel your face heat up, your mind begins to wander and the next thing you know, you’re becoming a shy mess.

When we you two see each other, he repeats and does everything he teased you about, with that smirk you love so much.

U: Unique ( any unique marks on their bodies. scars, birthmarks, etc. )

After being stabbed multiple times, it definitely left scars in its wake. At first he was a bit insecure about them. But the more you caressed them and told him how handsome he was regardless of them, he’d have his shirt off in front of you.

Feeling the tips of your fingers brush and lightly scratch over them always makes him shudder in pleasure.

V: Volume ( how loud they get)

Loud. He doesn’t care how loud he is or who hears him. Woojin wants you to know that you make him feel good, that you feel good wrapped around him. Deep and breathlessly, moaning your name as he takes you in any and every position.

W: Width (how big is he)

Thick. When you first seen it, you were more than sure he wouldn’t fit and when you both tried to have sex for the first time, it didn’t.

It took lots of prepping and he made you cum more times than you have in one setting but still as he slowly pushed into you, he had your thighs trembling. You were definitely a mumbling and whiny mess.

X: X-Ray (underneath their clothes)

Tall, sunkissed, slim, lightly muscular and fit. One simply can’t keep their eyes off him.

Y: Yearning ( how high is their sex drive, how much do they want you)

High. Woojin has never wanted anyone as much as he wants you. Sometimes he can’t even explain it and all he can do is profess his love and desire for you and worship you completely. He’s doesn’t care who’s watching.

Z: zzz ( how quickly they fall asleep)

Woojin can go for hours and follow up with aftercare but once your hand finds its way into his hair he’s out like a light. You’ve always had that effect on him.

#lee sang yi #lee sang yi x reader #hong woojin #hong woojin x reader #hong woojin imagines #bloodhounds netflix #bloodhounds x reader #bloodhounds imagines #fanfic #writing

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multiphandomunnies · 8 months ago

Text

wanna one

reactions

saying that you love them in your sleep

fans ship you together

you calling them your ideal type

gf is sad about eye bags

imagines

jisung

soulmate au

sungwoon

minhyun

seungwoo

jaehwan

daniel

jihoon

hating you

pantone 14-1513

woojin

jinyoung

daehwi

guanlin

bf! guanlin

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bahablastplz · 3 months ago

Text

All in | Chapter 10

pairing: Lee Felix x f!reader (mafia au)

summary: You didn't know what you were getting yourself into when you started dating Yang Jungwon, notorious mafia boss. Your life gets flipped upside down when you're found beaten and bloody by SKZ, the rival mafia group, and you're quickly integrated into their lives. What will happen when you try to leave your old life behind and start anew?

chapter summary: you're finally back at the house and you need to find yourself a new normal again. you take this time to get better acquainted with the others and make sense of what you know

warnings: please see series masterlist for all warnings

series masterlist ~~ series taglist ~~ main masterlist

When you arrive back at the house, you start to feel sick.

You’re not sure if it’s nerves or stress, but in reality it’s probably the events of the last few days finally starting to catch up to you. You immediately excuse yourself to your room and crash onto your bed, fighting back the urge to vomit.

Someone knocks on your door. You tell them to go away and they do; that’s how you know it isn’t Chan. The night comes and goes and you sleep your way through it. You sleep into the morning. Well into the morning, in fact, that you miss both breakfast and lunch.

You wake up finally, drenched in sweat and completely sore all over your body. It’s the sound of yelling outside of your door that rouses you from your sleep, your door slamming open causing you to cower under your covers.

“Get up,” Chan says. His voice does not allow room for argument.

“Chan, you should leave her–”

“Changbin, I don’t fucking need you to tell me what to do right now. Y/N, get up. You’re eating dinner with us. You’re not skipping another meal,” he says. Tears prick at your eyes but you’re successful at holding them back. You are not going to cry. Not in front of Chan.

“I don’t feel good,” you say.

“That’s bullshit,” he says, nearly cutting you off as if he anticipated your answer. “I know I have put you through a lot these past few days, but like Hell am I going to let you wither away in my house.” You let out a squeal as you feel the covers get yanked off of your body, leaving you feeling bare. The cold air pricks at your sweat covered skin and immediately you get goosebumps from the sensation. When you look up you see him standing over the mattress with his arms crossed, his gaze boring into your features, and you roll out of bed with a sigh. You feel nauseous as you follow him to the dining room but you don’t argue. However, the blood in your skin does start to boil.

Who the fuck is he to tell you what you can and can’t do? He’s already locked you up in this house, killed someone in front of you, and controlled just about every movement since you’ve ended up here. Is he going to dictate your whole meal plan too? God, you’re seething.

But you also know he’s right. That’s what infuriates you. Your physical ailments are just a manifestation of your trauma and your psyche, and maybe you have been letting them consume you for the past 24-hours, but that is your absolute right to do so. It chills you that he pays close attention to your each and every movement.

You think back to your conversation with Woojin in the warehouse. “Chan doesn’t like in the way that normal people like. He gets infatuated. He becomes obsessed and controlling and people end up dead.” You suppress the urge to shudder. You’re not sure you want to be loved or even liked by Chan. He was a passionate, attentive lover. You can only imagine being with Chan being like that, but tenfold.

On the other hand, you didn’t quite want to be disliked by Chan.

Besides the lack of food in your stomach from the past day, something else makes you nauseous when you sit at the table. Felix. You shoot him a smile and despise the way that your heart squeezes when he grins back at you. At this point, you can’t deny that you feel something towards the man. You shouldn’t. You absolutely fucking shouldn’t. Despite his kind treatment, he is still in the mafia, just like everyone else here. You’ve just allowed yourself to lean into your delusion that you could be something more, that maybe there’s more behind his kind actions that meets the eye.

You pick at your food at first. You realize it’s the first time that everyone has been here at dinner since before Woojin left. That feels like such a long time ago. Now, Lee Know is finally back, and you notice that the dynamic feels just a little bit more complete. Despite the last few days being absolutely wild, dinner conversation is just about as normal as it would be. You find yourself smiling subconsciously when jokes are cracked. And before you know it, you've eaten your whole plate. You really were hungrier than you realized.

As you clean your plate and slide it into the trash, you run right into Felix. Literally. His warm hands find their way to your waist to steady you and you don't meet his eye. Your face warms up at the action and you turn away from him, suddenly nervous.

“Hey,” he says, voice laced with surprise. “I haven’t seen you in a bit. You doing okay?”

“I’m… better now, I guess. Thanks. The past few days were just…”

“A lot?”

“Yeah,” you reply, daring a gaze to his softening eyes, a warm brown hue. “A lot.”

“If you’re feeling up to it, we could train some more?” he asks. His eyes are searching your face as if to confirm that you’re in a well-enough state to do so. You hope he doesn’t notice the blush that spreads over your features just from talking to him. You think back to the motel, and how his lips had gotten dangerously close to brushing against yours. You could feel his warm breath on yours, and if you had moved even just a centimeter closer you would have kissed, and there

would have been no coming back from that. Can you trust yourself to train with him? To not allow yourself to develop further feelings, or to act and cross that unreturnable line?

“No thanks,” you tell him as politely as you can muster. “I’m… still not feeling too well, physically. Still kind of nauseous, you know? Raincheck?”

“Yeah, of course!” he says. It’s at this moment when you realize his hands are still on your waist from when he steadied you from your near-fall. If your face wasn’t red before, it certainly is now. Great. As if he’s realized this too, his hands fall from their place on your body and he rubs the back of his neck sheepishly. “I hope you feel better! Let me know if you need anything, yeah?”

Felix is too polite and heartfelt for his own good, you think. It’s the quality of his that catches you the most off guard, the one that makes you forget so easily that he’s supposed to be dangerous.

As you walk back to your room, his touch a hot remnant on your waist, you try to remind yourself of all the times that Felix has proven himself to be more dangerous than he lets on. The night you escaped, for example, he threatened the men that had cornered you with a gun. Felix punching Woojin in the nose after he touched you, another example. Then there’s the night he brought you to the hotel. He had shown up with blood covering his white stained suit, though you had never asked about it. So yes, he has proven himself to be a dangerous, strong man. Why hasn’t that deterred your heart from yearning after him, though?

You sigh once you’ve returned to your room. You realize that you will need to get a new book from Hyunjin. You decide to put that off for now, however, and opt to leave the room. You know you will need to shower the sweat off of your clammy skin from your excessive sleep anyway, so you might as well go to the gym while you’re at it. Without Felix, this time. You almost feel bad that you lied and decided to go to the gym without him, but it’s not for lack of a good reason. You pick out a pair of clothes from your wardrobe that are loosely-fitting, easy for movement, and throw your hair up into a ponytail.

On your way to the gym, however, you realize there’s something that doesn’t feel right. A nagging feeling in your stomach. It’s at this time that you find yourself seeking out Chan, walking to his room for the first time since you moved in. There’s much you need to talk about, and it’s probably best to do so alone.

The door at the very end of the hall. It’s the only one besides Chan’s office that is characterized with a big metal deadbolt, almost comical in nature. Before you can plant a seed of doubt in yourself, you’re rapping on the door three times, hard. You don’t realize that it’s already late to begin with, so you hadn’t considered the option that he might be asleep until you’re met with silence. Hesitantly you turn around putting pressure on the balls of your feet to walk away before you hear a click, the door creaking open. Your heart beats fast for a second, and you’re met with the sight of Chan before you can consider running away.

He looks at you, confused. He obviously was not expecting you to be on the other side of the door. You wonder if he was expecting Hyunjin instead. You notice that he’s freshly showered, his dark hair falling in messy curls around his head and this kind of throws you off guard. In front of you, Chan has only ever looked neat and put-together, hair straightened and meticulous in his appearance. Even when he found you in the abandoned warehouse, he looked the embodiment of perfection, still in his suit from the gala. To see him in something so casual, sweats and a loose t-shirt after dinner… You almost forget for a second that the man in front of you is Bang Chan, one of the most dangerous men in the country, leader of the mafia. Almost.

You clear your throat. “We need to talk,” you say. You feel triumphant for once, that you’re the one taking him by surprise, that you’re the one with the upperhand, but that’s all forgotten when he opens his door wider and invites you into his room.

Well. You weren’t exactly expecting that. But you clear your throat and follow him inside.

The first thing you notice about Chan’s room is how large it is. It makes sense, really, that the leader of the mafia would have the largest room in his own house. You’re sure there’s a reason why it was deadbolted shut, that there’s things in here that aren’t meant for just anyone to see.

His bed is king-sized, placed in the middle of the room thoughtfully with a black duvet. The whole room matches, really, dark mahogany hardwood floors and black furniture. Even the walls, though sleek and elegant in feel, give a more gloomy yet modern feel. It’s very minimalist, you notice, no picture frames or paintings hung on the walls, though that feels very on brand for the man in front of you.

Chan motions for you to sit on his bed. You do, trying to hide your hesitation, crossing your legs as you watch the man cross the room. He stands in front of you, arms crossed and looking down at you where you sit. Mindlessly, you smooth your hands over the duvet, neatly made and cold to the touch and probably more expensive than anything you’ve ever owned.

“Yes?” He asks. He has a blank expression on his face and you curse yourself momentarily for being unable to identify what he’s thinking, but then you remember why you’re here.

“Right,” you say. “I wanted to talk.” You take a deep breath and try to calm your nerves.

He makes a noncommittal gesture with his hand, as if to say ‘so talk, then. What are you waiting for?’

“The gala,” you gulp. “That was… um, a lot, obviously. It’s just…” you try to think about where to even start and how to phrase what you had to say without offending him. As much as you want to curse him out, then and there, offending the man that is currently guaranteeing your safety probably isn’t the most wise decision. “Before we went inside, I told you about how nervous I was to see Jungwon. And you said… you promised that nothing was going to happen to me. I just can’t help but wonder, Chan. Was it a lie? Did you hand me over to them as a tactic? I know I don’t mean much to you guys, and at the end of the day you really have no reason to protect me. I just… I don’t want to think that you lied, but–”

“That’s enough.” When you meet his gaze you see how utterly pissed off he is. Shit. The words had spilled out of your mouth faster than you intended, but to be fair you had the right to know. Had he intentionally put your life in danger for the sake of getting his revenge on Jungwon? It really hadn’t come to your mind until now, but once the thought infiltrated your brain you couldn’t get it to leave. “I don’t fucking lie, Y/N,” he practically spits at you. “I thought you would know by now that I value honesty and loyalty above all else. What happened at the gala, as much as I hate to admit it, was out of my control. We should have prepared for it, but when we saw Woojin was there things got out of hand fast. The safety of one of my team members was in danger, so my priority was ensuring Minho’s safety. I hate feeling powerless. I fucking hate it, that they had the upper hand on us, but I thought that I made it perfectly clear after you got taken that they were going to pay for what they did to you.”

You nod your head, solemnly. “I’m sorry, I just–”

He shushes you sharply. You can tell he’s not finished speaking and he’s still full of irritation so you let him continue. “I don’t want to hear you say that we have no reason to protect you. That’s bullshit and we both know it. Sure, at first, the only reason you were allowed to stay with us was so we had the upper hand on Yang Jungwon. But I think you and I both realize that you’re something more to us now. Something more to me,” he says. “Jungwon is dead now. I protected you. Give me a chance to protect you again, Y/N. Let me kill Lee Heeseung and show you that you’re safe, and that you belong here. Nobody will ever hurt you again,” he ensures.

His words send a shiver down your spine. His words are so blunt and to the point, and if you weren’t listening carefully you would have almost missed the confession laced between his words. It scares you, this overprotective and controlling aspect of the man in front of you, the one who watches your every move. Chan, who makes sure you’re eating and taking care of yourself, Chan who loves too deeply, Chan who will make sure that nobody will ever lay a hand on you again.

You don’t know what to say. It’s overwhelming, and unease settles in your gut. “He’s dead,” is what you settle on, surprising even yourself.

“He is,” Chan agrees. “I’m not going to apologize for it.”

“I didn’t ask for you to,” you reply. “It’s just… does it get any easier?”

“Seeing the dead bodies?” he clarifies. You shake your head.

“Losing the people that you love,” you say just above a whisper. You know he hears you. He grimaces.

“I don’t know,” he confesses. “I haven’t… I haven’t loved in a very long time. And I don’t intend to lose anybody anytime soon.”

The two of you sit in silence for a moment. His words sit heavy in the air, swirling around before falling heavily upon your shoulders. You look at him with a grimace to match.

“I’ve been having nightmares,” you admit.

“You’ll be okay.” He reaches his hand out to guide you up, off of the bed. You take it, standing, trying not to think about how he invalidated your statement. You’re not sure what you expected from him but it leaves a sour taste in your mouth. Your brain flashes to Felix, a day or two prior that comforted you in the motel bed as sobs racked through your body. Felix, who let you lay your head on his chest as he soothed you to sleep and actually made you feel like everything would be okay. You shake the thought from your head. Chan is not Felix.

With a small smile you acknowledge the man and thank him. He surprises you when he brings you in for a hug, your head resting on his shoulder. He smells vaguely of rain, you think, though you think the man is more befitting of a storm, angry and all-consuming. You push yourself weakly out of his grasp, muttering a small ‘goodnight’ as you leave the room.

You can hear the deadbolt click behind you and you let out a shuddering breath. You can’t help the way your skin pricks up at Chan’s every touch, though the man also leaves you feeling uneasy.

It’s time for you to go to the gym.

With an exasperated sigh, that’s where you end up. It’s late at night now, so you don’t expect anybody to be here when you arrive but someone is. You hear them grunting and breathing heavy before you see them, and you almost turn around and head back to your room before you change your mind.

You need to relieve your stress right now.

You never thought you would be the person to say that, let alone use working out as an outlet for your stress, but here you are. The last few weeks of your life would bring most people to the brink of madness, after all, so if going to the gym and finally becoming strong was your new coping mechanism, fuck it.

You swing open the door and try not to make eye contact. Please don’t be Felix, you think. I don’t think I can emotionally deal with that situation right now.

It seems luck is in your favor, for once, as Changbin is the one that turns around when you enter. You give him a small smile, as you are feeling pretty relieved to see him.

You don’t spare him a second glance, however, as you turn on the treadmill and start running. You wish you had a phone in moments like these, a way that you could listen to music so that you could just turn your brain off. Felix would always play music off his phone when you went to the gym together. Fuck! If your brain could stop thinking about Felix for one moment, his flowery-yet-musky smell and his beautiful, fair hair and fae-like features, things would be so much easier for you.

“Dude,” you hear. “You good?”

You almost stumble on the treadmill, slamming the stop button to turn around and glare at the man behind you.

“What?” you say, more venomous than deserved.

“You okay?” he repeats himself. A thick layer of sweat coats his skin, and you notice the ridiculous amount of weight he has set on the barbell. Makes sense. As the bodyguard of the group, he is ridiculously in shape. You must be stupid or blind to not admire the muscles he has likely put a lot of time into. “You’re like, slamming your feet into the treadmill and you’ve been sprinting for a good 15 minutes.” He’s right. You hadn’t even noticed how effortlessly you had run almost two miles.

“I’m fine,” you sigh. Neither of you seem convinced.

“You seem pissed,” he points out.

“I am pissed,” you finally agree. So much for being elusive and shoving away your feelings. It doesn’t take much for you to cave. “It’s been a long couple of days.”

“I can imagine,” he sympathizes. “What can I do to help?” His words take you by surprise, as he seems genuine in offering his help. You ponder his question as you try and catch your breath.

“Spar with me?” You ask, finally. You’re not too sure you want to go to Felix about this anymore.

“I can do that,” he replies with a smile.

After wrapping your hands up and getting ready, you take a defensive stance. Changbin looks like he’s been taken by surprise.

“What?” you question, confused by his reaction.

“Nothing,” he answers quickly. “It’s just… your form is good! I thought I would have to teach you some of the basics.”

You preen a little at the compliment. Your form is actually good? That means your hard work is paying off! “I’ve been practicing with Felix,” you admit.

A look of realization flashes over him. “Ohhhhh,” is all he says in response. “Are you ready?” You grunt in approval.

Changbin does not go easy on you, to your surprise. He immediately goes on the offense, attacking with hit after hit. He’s not using his full strength, thankfully as you probably can’t take it just yet, but the man is fast. It’s also interesting to see how different his fighting style is from Felix’s, though you notice some similarities.

Like how he plants his feet firmly after each right hook. Like how he leaves his left side open and unprotected after he bends his leg to connect his knee to your abdomen. He isn’t expecting your kick or the force behind it and it knocks him backwards. He regains his balance quickly and doesn’t completely fall, much to your chagrin, though the look of shock that crosses his features tells you all you need to know. You’re starting to get good.

“You’re observant,” he points out. “That’s really good. That will make up for your lack of strength. Fighting is equal parts brain and brawn, you know. You’re good at using your brain to your advantage.” You remember that Changbin is one of the best fighters in the house other than Felix so you don’t take his praise for granted.

“Thanks,” you say. “You’re strong, you know.”

“So I’ve been told,” he laughs. “It’s a part of the job. I haven’t always been like this, though.” You try to think about a younger Changbin, weak and scrawny and you almost laugh at the thought. There’s no way.

“Any reason why you decided to bulk up? Besides the job, obviously. It’s just, your physique isn’t something that someone would get for the sake of a job,” you smile.

“What can I say,” he shrugs. “I had people to protect. I was weak and people took advantage of that, so I became strong. I wanted to become feared, let people know not to mess with me or the people I love, and what better way to do that than to look the muscular, intimidating part?” You ponder his words, not missing it when he said he had people to protect. You wonder where they are now. You wonder how he got here, even, but you don’t ask. You think there’s a lot more to Changbin that meets the eye. “Are you done already?” He asks after a beat.

“No, I don’t think so,” you say, changing the subject. “Felix was starting to work with me on self-defense tactics to get out of a restrictive hold. Can you help me?” He quirks his brow in surprise. “Shouldn’t Felix help you, then?”

You shrug your shoulders. “I’m not here with Felix right now, I’m here with you.”

“Fair enough,” he mutters. You give him a small grin. Somehow, your stress has melted off of you in waves and you’ve almost forgotten what has gotten you so worked up in the first place. Changbin does a good job of making sure your focus is entirely on him, no distractions evident when he pulls you into a chokehold from behind. It’s not tight or malicious, but effective in its purpose as a demonstration. “This is one of the most common restrictive holds,” he explains. “Tell me, when I pull you in from behind and my hands are wrapped around your neck, what is your first instinct?”

“To try to pry your hands away from my neck,” you respond.

“Good,” he praises. “That’s what you want to avoid. Think about my body, behind you right now. What do you have open? What do I have open that you can attack?”

You mull his words over for a second, becoming hyper-aware of his body behind you. If both of his arms are around your neck, that means his torso is free. You could easily swing an elbow back and try to make contact with his ribs. Thinking about a previous lesson with Felix, you consider the more vulnerable areas of the body. The face, the neck, and the groin.

“My legs are free,” you answer. “I could swing up a leg from behind and hit you in the groin.”

“That’s right,” he says. “Anything else?”

“Your face? If I swing my head back hard enough, I should be able to smack you right in the nose. That’s enough to throw anyone off guard.”

“Are you sure you even need me to show you how it’s done?” he teases. “Let’s practice now.”

You’re not sure how long you and Changbin spend in the gym, but you feel thoroughly spent by the time you’re through. Your muscles ache, you’re dripping with sweat, and you’re out of breath so you decide to call it a night. As you leave, you have a lingering question you decide to share with Changbin.

“What do you know about knives?” you ask.

“Knives?” he questions, his brows furrowing and causing a crease to form on his forehead.

“Yeah, knives,” you respond. “Daggers, blades, stabbing–”

“I know what you’re talking about, smartass,” he interrupts. “Just… why?”

“I’ve been thinking about learning how to use a weapon,” you explain.

“Yeah, I don’t think knives or blades are a good idea, then,” he tells you.

“What? Why not?” you all but shout. “I thought I was making some serious progress!”

“I’m not denying that,” he argues. “Your skill definitely exceeds what I would consider a beginner, and that’s amazing given how little time you’ve had. It’s just that knives make for a horrible beginner weapon. For one, you need to get close and personal with your target. That’s not ideal; if you hesitate, they can easily overpower you and stab you instead. Second, stabbings are messy. You can’t half-ass shoving a knife into someone–you have to do it with as much force as you can and into a vital spot. If you’re using a knife to protect yourself, you need to do it with the intent to kill. Best case-scenario, you’ll need to stab them multiple times in order to really do some damage. Not to doubt your capabilities, but do you really think you can do that?”

You blanche. You suppose he does have a point there.

“You’re better off learning how to use a gun. Sure, if you’re really in a pinch a knife will do the trick, but you’re better off shooting and giving yourself the opportunity to run. That stamina you’ve been building up doesn’t have to be for show, you know.”

“So you’ll teach me how to use a gun?” you question, trying not to seem too hopeful.

“Me? God no,” he laughs a little too loudly. “I prefer to use these as my weapons,” he says, flexing his biceps and kissing them to further prove his point. You can’t help the laugh that escapes your chest at his actions. “If you want to talk to someone who knows guns and weapons, you’re probably better off talking to Jisung about them. He knows a little bit about everything. Plus, he definitely has the best aim. He’s your man,” he tells you, closing the door to the gym behind him. He wishes you a goodnight and leaves you in the hallway. You decide it’s too late to talk to Jisung about it now, and instead decide to grab a cup of water from the kitchen.

As you reach the cabinet to grab a glass, you see a shadowy figure that nearly has you dropping the glass and jumping out of your skin.

“Fuck!” you whisper-shout, clutching your chest. As your eyes adjust to the light switch that has just been flipped on, you’re met face-to-face with Seungmin.

“Hey,” he greets nonchalantly.

“You scared me,” you accuse. He shrugs his shoulders as if to say, ‘whatever, not my fault.’ You’re reminded of the fact that you haven’t exactly had ample opportunity to talk to the man. He’s just sort of been around.

You turn on the faucet and fill up your cup, trying to even out your breathing.

“He’s going to be upset, you know,” he says. He sips on his own cup of water, staring at the floor and for a second you’re sure you misheard. Did he actually just speak to you?

“Who?” you question.

“Felix,” he answers without missing a beat, like it’s obvious.

“What? Why would Felix be mad?” The stress and anxiety has already come back, bubbling inside your chest.

“You went to the gym without him,” he says. “With someone else, actually.” Confusion spreads across your features. So… not only does he know that you were just at the gym with Changbin, but he’s also aware of the fact that you’ve been practicing with Felix? How does he know so much!? You scoff and turn around, water in hand as you pay him no mind.

“Felix can be quite jealous,” he adds as you leave the room. You roll your eyes.

The world seems to be plotting your demise, you think. Of course you run into Felix on your way back to your room, spilling your water on him in the process.

“Shit,” you cry, face flushing up in the process. “I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to–”

“It’s fine,” he says. “No worries.” You don’t look at him and push past politely, trying to open your bedroom door when he calls after you.

“You went to the gym,” he says. It’s not a question, merely a statement that he has observed.

“I did,” you confirm. You think about Seungmin’s words and consider leaving it at that, but you decide to try to confirm his statement. “Changbin was just helping me spar.”

You hide a smirk when you notice Felix freeze. “You went… with Changbin?” he asks, distaste laced in his voice.

“Yes,” you say, deciding to push him further. “Is there a problem with that?”

“Not at all,” he says, feigning a smile. “I’ll take it you’re feeling better, then?”

Right. You had told him that you were still feeling ill, so it probably comes across as rude to turn around and immediately go with someone else.

“I tried to rest,” you tell him. “Sorry. I was feeling antsy and didn’t want to bother you. Changbin just happened to be there.” You don’t want to tell him that you really didn’t want to spar because the thought of close proximity to Felix made your heart flutter against your better judgment.

“I see,” he nods his head in affirmation. “Next time, feel free to come and get me. You know where my room is, right?” You realize you don’t know where his room is, and he must recognize your hesitation. “Look–I’m three doors down. Do you see that white door on the right side of the hall? That’s me, so next time make sure you come and get me, okay?” You confirm that you will and you close your door, slumping up against it as it shuts.

He did get jealous. Maybe Seungmin is more observant than you had realized.

You fall asleep quite fast after your shower. That ugly feeling you worked so hard to work off earlier remains stagnant in your gut but you do a good job of ignoring it. You sleep through the night, body sore but full of food and content with the progress you’ve been making. You don’t have any nightmares, though your sleep is interrupted in the morning by a rapping on the door.

It’s daytime by now, evident by the light shining through your windows but you still groan nonetheless, swinging your legs over the bed and letting your body carry you to the door. Swinging it open, you’re surprised to see Jisung standing on the other end of the door. Wearing a blue and brown striped sweater with large, thick-rimmed glasses, he looks very domestic which catches you off guard.

“Morning,” he says with a smile.

“Morning…?” you answer back, stretching into a yawn and rubbing sleep from your eyes.

“I came to get you for breakfast,” he says. “Chan sent me.”

“Of course, Chan sent you,” you say with a sigh. “Give me one moment.” You close the door behind you, getting ready by changing into more presentable clothes and washing your face. You brush your hair back and suppress a yawn, thinking that coffee might do you some good. Opening the door again, you see that Jisung has waited for you.

Walking to the kitchen together, you decide to talk to the man. “I have been meaning to ask you something,” you tell him.

“Oh?” he asks, eyes shooting open and mouth widening into a small ‘o’ shape. He looks reminiscent of a chipmunk and it’s quite endearing–you find yourself wanting to run your fingers through the curly locks on his head that further drives the image.

“Yes, Changbin was telling me that you might be able to show me how to use a gun?” you ask, trying not to sound too hopeful.

“Absolutely,” he says. You try not to look too surprised–that’s it? He’s not going to ask why or what for? “Want to stop by my room after breakfast?”

“It might be closer to lunch, but that would be great!” you tell him. You actually have a busy morning planned out: a meeting with Hyunjin to pick out a new book, and training with Felix. You feel hopeful now, though, that on top of all this strength and stamina you’ve been building up, you won’t be so defenseless after all.

─ ⋅ ⋅ ⋅ ──── ♡ ─── ⋅ ⋅ ⋅ ──

Your plans get foiled pretty quickly, as Felix tells you he can’t help you train today. He’s getting sent out with Hyunjin and Seungmin for a mission, one that he can’t fully disclose to him. You don’t give him any signal that you’re slightly relieved, unsure how to deal with all the tension that’s been building up.

But that also means that you won’t get a chance to visit Hyunjin for your book. So, Jisung it is. After breakfast he’s kind enough to lead you to his room, seeing as you weren’t exactly sure where it was anyway.

You’re not super surprised to see that his room is messy, as you sort of get that vibe from him that it would be. Piles of clothes are strewn about, some water bottles and dishes piled on his bedside table. He opens up a large wooden armoire with no clothes in it, instead filled with a large metal safe. He takes a moment to make sure you aren’t looking before inputting a code, the metal door whirring and swinging open.

Guns. Lots of them, though you probably couldn’t identify which kinds there are, there are many of varying lengths and sizes. Some look more expensive while others are covered in grime and rust.

You sit and watch as Jisung explains the very basics of even using a gun, including how to load it, how to hold it, and what not to do with it. He tells you to always act like a gun is loaded, even if you know it isn’t; you should also never aim it at someone unless you’re doing so with the intent to shoot at them. He talks for a bit about basic shooting techniques, as well as how to handle the recoil of a gun after shooting it with a good-enough stance. You honestly feel like your head is about to explode from this overload of information but you’re grateful for it nonetheless; you definitely feel like you know more than enough about how to shoot after your conversation with him.

“You’re smart,” you tell him. “You know so much about guns. That’s awesome.”

He blinks at you owlishly. “I guess so! I wouldn’t call myself smart. I’m useful. Minho’s always been the smart one,” he laughs. “When you have nothing good going for ya, you kind of have to find a way to the top. Make yourself useful somehow. I’m not book-smart, so this? This is what I’m good at. It’s all I’m good at.” The statement settles uneasily in your stomach. This is all he thinks he’s good for? Nobody has ever told him otherwise? That can’t be right. That’s probably how he ended up here and your heart squeezes, but before you can pry further or refute his claims, he’s speaking again. “So, did I do a good job? You think you sort of understand what you’re working with now?”

“I’m more of a hands-on learner,” you explain to him. “Is there any way I can practice shooting?”

“Oh yeah, for sure!” Jisung exclaims. The two of you walk outside and you see the makeshift shooting range he has set up. He sets up a stack of cans on a table and guides you to stand about twenty feet back.

He presses the gun into your hands, cold and foreign to you even though you just sat through his entire demonstration. You have half the mind to think he’s far too trusting of you, but you know realistically he could disarm you faster than you have the mind to aim and pull the trigger at him.

He walks through the basics with you again, showing you exactly how to stand and posture yourself. He makes you unload and reload the gun a few times as well, that way you’re comfortable and familiar with the mechanics of it.

You miss the first few times. Maybe the first twenty times you shoot. But Jisung is surprisingly a really good teacher–constantly correcting you or giving you helpful feedback. The first time you hit a metal can, you practically shriek with joy.

You hang out with Jisung for a few hours. By the end of it, your ears are ringing despite the earplugs he encouraged you to wear, and your arms are worse for wear after holding the weapon.

You take a nap at about 4pm but wake up in time for dinner. You’re hungry due to the exertion of the day and you decide to indulge yourself at dinner, eating more than your share. If Chan notices he doesn’t say anything.

That night you hear when Seungmin and Hyunjin return from their mission. You listen for the low timbre of Felix’s voice but you don’t hear it. You want to see him, you decide, only for your peace of mind. You come up with the excuse of wanting to train despite it being a bit late and your body still sore from your earlier activities, but your body carries you down the hall to the white door only three doors down. Your knuckles wrap softly against the wood and you shift nervously from side to side waiting for his answer.

When Felix opens the door you find yourself blinking and ogling. His hair is sweaty against his skin, pulled up into a messy half-up half-down ponytail. He dons a white tank top, showing off his beautifully well-built arms.

��Y/N?” he questions. He leans against the doorframe, tilting his head to the side to look at you. “What’s up?”

“I… uh, I was wondering if you wanted to train? Me? Train with me?” you say, stumbling over your words. He cracks a small grin.

“I’m not feeling the best at the moment and I was hoping I could rest for a bit, if that’s okay. Rain check our rain check?” You nod, looking him up and down before you realize something–he’s clutching his side.

Felix moves his body slightly out of sight so that you can’t see but you push into his room. He doesn’t stop you.

“Felix, what’s wrong? Show me,” you demand. Sighing in defeat, he lifts his hand away from the spot on his side. You notice the blood seeping through the fabric, staining his hand when he pulls it away. “Felix, what the fuck? Is that your blood?”

“Don’t freak out… but I may or may not have gotten stabbed.”

─ ⋅ ⋅ ⋅ ──── ♡ ─── ⋅ ⋅ ⋅ ──

a/n: next mini-member chapter this wednesday, and it's one of my favorite ones so far hehe (sorry about the cliffhanger)

taglist: @shuporanporang ; @purp13st4r ; @eurydiceofterabithia ; @heartsbyandra ; @thicccurls ;

@rylea08 ; @the-sweetest-rose ; @oddracha ; @kapelover ; @goldenmellow ;

@zerefdragn33l ; @uhh-awkward-rightt ; @astudyoftimeywimeystuff ; @kaleigh-2002 ; @thatonexcgirl ;

@mindfreecreator ; @linoalwaysknows ; @velvetmoonlght ; @minahaeyo ; @crystalchuuu ;

@hash2013 ; @skzswife ; @b0bbl3s ; @thecutiepieme ; @bear8585 ;

@moss-the-man ; @softkisshyunjin ; @sylveonitesworld ; @m00njinnie ; @nicoleparadas ;

@starsofasteria ; @klopez01 ; @luvlinos ; @hyunjinnnnnnnnnnnnnn ; @skz-akira ;

@boi-bi-ahaha ; @l33bang24 ; @hermione640 ; @gal82 ; @b-chansbbygirl ;

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@ghostedgameplays ; @wealwayskeepfighting ; @meloncremesoda ; @Lovelino23 ; @honeyybbuubblleess ;

@blossominghunnie ; @sunlitangel777 ; @kkamismom12 ; @slaykanejvetsi ; @eastleighsblog ;

@skzskzskzskzskzskzskzzzz ; @k-keya ; @moonlight-sunrise-channie ; @estella-novella

@mbioooo0000 ; @lovemepie67 ; @lemonn015 ; @jaeminie-cricket ; @cookiesandcreammy

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dogboytits · 4 months ago

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i think a cover album would be rly fun. but i doubt they would do that. it would be rly cool to have their covers of like.. fancy, my house, sherlock, and love me or leave me all on spotify...

if the "special album" that stray kids is releasing this year is like a "best of stray kids" album, 1) that would be lame, and 2) they at least for the love of god should put red lights, cant stop, and school life with all 8 of them on it. they have the fucking audio files just release it bitch

#i know fancy has woojin so theyd have to re-record that #and love me or leave me is only Lee know and a lot of them dont have solo covers but #idk. imagine?

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taes-kookie-blog · 5 months ago

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REACTIONS TO U HAVING AN ED - SKZ

TW // ED

check out my bts versions too for forever saranghae for our boys

HYUNJIN

Ah, Y/N that's a lot to handle... my schedule's already busy.. aish. Just eat for me today okay?

Gains inspiration for his art, drawing ed related art which triggers u more but he doesn't mean to.

whenever it's meal time, he side eyes u until u eat

when u take pics together, he edits ur body to try to make u feel better

FELIX

No.... Y/N... you broke the promise.

he's upset, because you promised to eat and stay healthy

he gets competitive

ur ed worsens because he loses weight quicker than u and sees u as competition

becomes ur pro bf

LEE KNOW

no you don't... Y/N you shouldn't joke about that LOL

thinks you're joking

makes jokes about ur ed

'u dont look like u have an ed'

encourages u to eat by telling u how easy it is

BANGCHAN

Babygirl, don't, you're perfect the way you are...

makes u meals and doesnt leave until u finish

tells u to eat for him

'if you don't eat, i won't.'

'you're my strength y/n. if you dont have strength, neither will i'

JEONGIN

'...'

doesnt know how to react

avoids u for a few days after u tell him

accidentally makes it into a big deal at every mealtime

'y/n, eat as much as you can okay?'

blabs to the members without realizing it; 'guys, don't cut y/n a big piece of cake she has en ed'

HAN

'what? why wouldn't you eat?'

it doesnt make sense to him

he's always stressing about it and asking if u ate

makes u send photos of finished meals to him

sends u recovery videos

SEUNGMIN

'what? u don't eat? y/n.. how are u alive then?'

thinks it means u dont eat at all

makes low cal meals for u

never takes u on dates involving food

thinks he's helping but he's helping u get worse

CHANGBIN

'that's nonsense babe. start working out with me instead, okay?'

brings u to the gym with him

sneaks high calorie ingredients into ur food

'if u keep starving yourself, you'll lose your best assets babe...'

sends u articles about ed deaths and ed horror stories

puts u on a meal plan

WOOJIN

*beats you up until you vomit* 'see, i knew it. you had food in your stomach, you'll be fine'

hope u enjoyed! send requests in my asks <3

check out my other imagines too! i purple u always

#skz #stray kids #skz imagine #stray kids imagine #skz x you #skz x reader #skz imagines #stray kids imagines #stray kids x reader #stray kids x you #skz fanfic #stray kids fanfic #skz reactions #stray kids reactions #skz reacts to #skz reacts

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lexsssu · 10 months ago

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Master (Kim Woo Jin)

TAGS: Woojin/F!reader, yandere, obsession, possessive behavior, dirty thoughts, blowjobs, pet names, breeding kink, oneshot Ao3 ver.

Woo-Jin sighed contentedly as he stared down at you with a heated yet lovestruck gaze, dark orbs darkening with every moment that passed as your small mouth tried to fit in every inch of his pulsing cock. It was adorably obscene how your cheeks puffed up like a chipmunk stuffing nuts in its mouth, though in this case you weren’t too unlike the said animal…

If any of the other people he normally interacted with saw his expression right now, they’d be flabbergasted at the gentleness he was capable of when the only side of him everyone else got to see was the ruthless Woo-Jin. In truth, he wasn’t incapable of kindness, but rather no one really deserved it.

Except for you.

Despite being Lee Se Jun’s little sister, you were unlike him in every way. From the genuine smiles you would bestow upon a stray mutt like him during his first life, to the gentle hands that you would place upon his body as you healed him from even the tiniest of cuts or bruises. While your older brother simply hid behind a mask, you were a true beacon of light that drew him away from the darkness and bathed him in your warmth despite how unworthy he was.

He is an attack dog meant only to serve as his Master’s blade and yet within the shriveled and blackened heart of his, he craved you.

Countless nights spent rubbing his stiff length as he imagined your soft and unblemished hands wrapping around him and helping him reach completion as adrenaline pumped through his veins in between missions. Visions of your heavenly form sprawled beneath him, your normally impeccable appearance roughened up by his ravenous mouth and wandering hands plagued his mind. Woo-Jin could practically taste your sweet, delectable slick on his tongue while his nose is drowned in your heady scent as he feasts upon your core like the untamed beast that he is.

Sometimes he even imagines rutting into you inside your brother’s very own office. You bent over the large desk as he stuffs your quivering little pussy up with so much cum until there’s no way you wouldn’t be pregnant. Tits heavy and leaking with milk, your belly rounded and the glow of motherhood surrounding you as you carried his seed.

Imagining the looks on everyone’s faces, especially all those worthless pieces of shit who had their eye on you both from within and outside the guild at the sight of your condition is a sight that he will engrave in his mind.

It is he who gets the last laugh.

He cackles at the mere thought of Lee Se Jun’s final words and expression when he expressed his heartfelt intent to love and cherish his little sister now that her dearest older brother had passed.

For all the restraint he had, there is no denying that he was and still is nothing more than a feral beast.

And the beast wanted to feast on you.

That is why when given a second chance at life, he wastes no time in achieving his mission: Destroy the Messiah Guild and expose Lee Se Jun’s true self.

“Mmmm…W-Woo-Jin am I…doing it right?”

Staring up at him so innocently while holding his cock in your hands only sent more blood straight down, something you take notice of as the organ seems to grow hotter in your hold.

You’d never done anything like this before, a fact that both you and Woo-Jin were aware of considering how overprotective Lee Se Jun was over you. The returner could at least thank the blonde for that, as that meant you were entirely his to taint teach.

“You did perfectly, baby. Look, you made me even harder than I already am. I think I’m gonna burst at this rate,” he cooed, rough hands cradling your face to press a kiss to your forehead.

While some would curse him for sinking his claws upon such a pure soul such as yourself, Kim Woo-Jin didn’t give a rat’s ass. The fake savior was never his true master, but rather it is you that has given a stray like him a home to return to.

And your home is rather lonely with just the two of you, so filling it with the pitter-patter of little ones would make it just right.

#lexsssu writes #kill the hero #kim woojin #kim woo-jin #kim woojin x reader #kim woojin x you #kim woojin x y/n #yandere x reader #crossposted on ao3

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seongwave · 5 months ago

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⎙ » hidden agendas

pairing : lee woojin x kang!oc

synopsis : taunting the taboo couple.

warning : lowercase intended. not proofread. revenge. mentions of pedophilia. implied nsfw. usage of korean words.

a/n : a continuation of vengeance ?? and to the anon in my inbox, i definitely agree with you ! we need more hierarchy fics !

observing as their teacher strolled with a new hermes sack was a sight to see for chae. she was doing her best not to chuckle at how proud their pedophile teacher was, flaunting it.

'hmm, let's see,' chae thought as she planned things in her mind.

sitting on a stool at the bar in the private club known among the certain group of friends, chae patiently waited for a man to take the bait.

'well, that wasn't so hard,' chae thought, smiling slightly as she felt the next stool beside her become occupied by a certain man.

"never saw you around here before, what's your name?" woojin asked after ordering a drink, observing the girl next to him.

"chae laurent, pleased to meet you, mr.?" chae held out a hand, smiling slightly and batting her eyes at the man. seducing her target.

"lee woojin, a delight" woojin greeted her, holding her hand and kissing the back of it while tenderly caressing it, feeling like he had ensnared the girl when in reality, it was the opposite.

events unfolded and they found themselves in woojin's studio. bodies was shared throughout the night.

the ringing of a phone stirred them awake, with chae being the first to rise and woojin just stirring. noticing the caller's name, H, she smirked slightly and chose to answer the call.

"woojin? where are you?" their worried teacher's voice came from the phone. chae wanted to answer, but a hand stopped her from speaking.

woojin snatched the phone from her grasp and hung up the call. he questioned her in frustration, "why would you do that?"

"I picked up the phone when it was ringing for a long time, assuming it was urgent," chae replied, acting naively. "but why is ms. han calling you so early in the morning?" she asked, trying to provoke him.

"It's not your concern," woojin said gruffly, trying to leave, but chae stopped him and pushed him onto the bed. "why are you getting so agitated?" chae asked as her hands explored his body, their eyes locked. and bare bodies pressed against each other.

"it's not a big deal," woojin averted his gaze, while chae chuckled. "aww, you're adorable, you think I'm clueless?" chae teased, smirking as she caught him off guard.

"oh bunny, how could a teacher like her possibly have enough money for a hermes bag?" she teased as she moved closer to his face, her hands exploring his cheeks. "i also saw you both entering the art room, just so you know," she laughed. "just what happens there" she added, smirking widely.

woojin attempted to move her aside but chae caught him off guard by connecting their lips. despite the surprise, woojin reciprocated the kiss as chae drew him in closer. pulling way, chae started putting on her clothes when woojin asked, "what do you want to keep you silent?"

"hmm, don't fret, you have accomplished enough," chae said with a smile. what he didn't know she had placed cameras around his habitat. and stole a copy of the spy cam from the pen.

in the school hallway, a sophisticated lady and a cheap girl faces each other. "ms. chae, would you be open to having a conversation?" asked the teacher.

chae chuckled when she felt the woman's fear and craving for blood, "there's no need to talk, teacher," she said with a smile. "actually, there is. please come with me," she said, grabbing her arms, which chae dismissed.

"If you don't remove your hands off of me, I will shove my fucking mouawad diamond purse into your low-cost rear end, teach."

masterlist !

#hierarchy imagines #hierarchy x oc #hierarchy #lee woojin #lee woojin x reader #lee woojin x oc #lee woojin imagines

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make-me-imagine · 10 months ago

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Confession + Relationship Headcanons {K.GW & H.WJ}

Confession + General Relationship Headcanons with Kim Geon-Woo and Hong Woo-Jin (Bloodhounds)

Pairing: Kim Geon-Woo x Gn!Reader; Hong Woo-Jin x Gn!Reader + Geon-Woo x Reader x Woo-Jin headcanons because why not lol.

Requested By: Anonymous

Warnings: Some headcanons revolving around physical affection and kissing. Poly-Headcanons; listed separately and labelled so avoid if you're not into that.

Words: Geon-Woo: 0.5k ; Woojin: 0.4k; Poly: 0.7k Total Word Count: ~1.6k

A/n: Me coming back from hiatus with content for a show no one follows me for? It's more likely than you think!

Kim Geon-Woo

Geon-Woo is fairly reserved until he gets to know someone, so even if he was attracted to you he would keep it to himself until he got to know you better.

He is a big believer in needing to be friends with someone first before starting a relationship.

Even though he waits until you form a bond of friendship, he is head over heels for you, and it is obvious, even to you eventually.

Caught staring at you too often not to notice.

Always offers to help you, or does random things for you.

You make him blush pretty easily, and smile all the time.

Like, giggling and kicking his feet kind of guy if you do something he finds cute.

You would worry you assumed wrong though since he never said anything, but then finally he does confess.

He does it in a reserved and shy way after he walked you home from having dinner with him and Woojin.

He will struggle to keep eye contact at first, but then he will finally get a hold of himself and tell you how he feels.

He will list the things he loves about you, how long he a felt this way, and how much he wants to be with you.

Geon-Woo is ecstatic when you confess you feel the same.

He asks to hold your hand, and is all cute and smiley when you say yes.

Geon-woo loves holding your hand, especially when you are walking around together.

If your hands are a lot smaller than his?? LOVES to engulf your hands in his, especially if you are cold.

Totally the type to give you his jacket when you are cold, even if he is too.

Surprises you with flowers and food to make you smile.

His giving love languages are Acts of Service, Quality Time, and Gift Giving.

His main receiving Love Language is Quality Time, but he enjoys physical touch as well.

He loves hugging you, often from behind so he can rest his head on yours or on your shoulder (depending on the height difference)

He also loves kissing, especially slow kisses when cuddling, you but all of that stays in private.

When you say goodbye to each other he often gives you a kiss to your hand, or forehead though.

And if you kiss him (mainly in public or in front of others) he gets all shy and cute.

Since he loves spending time with or around you, you two go on a lot of cute dates.

Going to the movies, arcades, walks, hiking, short road trips, picnics, museum dates, anything that involves just the two of you is amazing to him.

He is very caring and gentle, and is quite protective without being controlling.

He will always give you space when you need it, and will always be here when you want comfort or company.

Ride or Die, simp, giant green flag, he is all of the above. When he loves he loves with his whole heart and nothing less.

Hong Woo-Jin

Woojin is more bold than Geonwoo so he wouldn't really hide his feelings, or beat around the bush.

Once he meets you and realizes he is very much into you, he is ready to test the waters.

Flirts immedietely.

If you reciprocate and flirt back, he is surprised yet ecstatic.

If you are shy and bashful about it, he finds it adorable and it only makes him want to flirt more just to see you blush.

It took you some time though to realize he was being serious.

He saw someone else showing interest and panicked because he feared he would lose his chance to actually be with you.

When he confessed, his boldness seemed to vanish and he grew shyer than you had ever seen.

He showed up with flowers, a jittery demeanor and a lot of rambling.

But it was honestly adorable.

You were admittedly, a bit surprised to learn he had not just been flirting but had truly been trying to pursue you.

So when he asked you on a date, you were more than happy to say yes.

He is very fun to be in a relationship with. He is down to do pretty much anything and nothing, as long as it is with you.

His love languages, both giving and receiving are Quality Time, Words of Affirmation and Physical Affection.

He is perfectly open to PDA so it depends on how you feel about it.

If you are fine with it, he will be all over you whenever he wants (which is often), if you do not like it, he will stick to an arm around your waist or his hand in yours until you are alone together.

If you initiate PDA he gets giddy he loves it.

Loooves kissing, doesn't care if there are others around to see it (again this depends on you - he wont do things you are uncomfortable with.)

When it is just the two of you he loves being close to you.

Dates with Woojin are often fun and involve some form of activity, and usually food.

Arcades, bowling, mini golf, theme parks, etc..

The dates often last for hours or even a whole day because you enjoy being with each other so much.

He is clingy so even if you want some time alone it is often that he is nearby. He will give you your space, but the second you are fine with him being there he appears like a puppy that had been waiting for you to get home from work.

Will cook for you and take you out to eat all kinds of food.

If you cook for him, he will help you or clean up afterwards.

Will go to the ends of the Earth to protect you and make you happy. Definitely a ride or die kind of boyfriend.

Geon-Woo + Woo-Jin (Poly Relationship)

Being in a relationship with both Geon-Woo an Woo-jin would happen slowly.

Geon-Woo an Woo-jin do not have romantic feelings for one another, but they are so close that being with the same partner poses no issues for them.

In a way they prefer it, they spend so much time together and are so close that having the same partner makes sense in a way.

When they first realized that they both had strong feelings for you thy both backed off, not wanting to steal the others desired partner.

But then, they figured out you had feelings for both of them as well.

Woo-Jin was the first to bring up a possible poly situation to Geon-Woo.

Geon-Woo admittedly was thrown off about this at first, not sure if it would really work out.

But there feelings for you were so strong, and they were so close he couldn't really find any issues with it.

And the idea of one of them being with you and the other not didn't sit well with them, so it was a both or neither situation.

But they were both worried you would hate the idea, and they didn't want to lose you completely so they were cautious about it.

First they both made their feelings for you known, and in a way courted you equally.

You noticed it immedietely and withdrew a bit, because the idea of choosing one and the other being hurt was something you could not do.

Noticing you were running they decided to admit they both had feelings for you and both wanted to be with you.

You were thrown off, confused, and worried it was something they actually didn't want but said it solely to appease each other.

They took the time to explain to you their feelings and how much they both cared about you, and each other.

Every question you had, they had an answer or solution for, and eventually you couldn't really find any issues with it.

You decided to try it out slowly at first, but it quickly felt so right and normal that it became a real relationship pretty quickly.

Everyone who knew you knows the three of you are super close, so none of them really suspect you are in a relationship.

They could see them hugging you and playfully flirting with you and not bat an eyelash.

There is rarely a day the three of you aren't together or around each other.

If you work out, you work out with them - two free personal trainers, and they're hot? If you don't work out you still get to watch them work out. Its a win win situation.

Some days you go on individual dates with them, doing something one prefers over the other.

Then the three of you often go on a group date. Either to the movies, out to eat, a picnic, bowling or activity dates etc. Often having small competitions between the three of you to see who pays.

You are always between them. When sitting, standing, sleeping, cuddling. It's like having two constant teddy bears.

Once your relationship got more serious, Woojin convinced everyone to get giant beds so it didn't matter whose house you were at, if you wanted to sleep over, there was room for all three of you.

Group chat called "Sunshine Protection Squad" because they are basically your body guards. (You are sunshine if that wasn't obvious)

Anyone bothering you? Creepy guys hitting on you? Dangerous situation? They are there ready to protect.

They teach you self-defense and how to fight for times they are not there.

Woojin calls you sunshine and/or sunflower, while Geo-Woo calls you babe/baby or flower. (And also Princes if that matches your pronouns). You are passenger princess no matter what btw.

They like taking care of you, even if it can be overwhelming or stifling. Though they do give you space and alone time when you need it.

They get very good at being able to tell what you want or need even before you say anything.

You are always fed, hydrated and taken care of because they will never let anything bad touch you if they can help it.

General Taglist: @criminaly-supernatural, @imaginesfire, @rexit-mo, @onuen, @witchygagirl, @alexxavicry

-Taglist Form- *Bloodhounds has been added to form

#kim geon woo x reader #hong woojin x reader #bloodhounds x reader #kim geonwoo/reader #hong woojin/reader #bloodhounds/reader #kim geon woo headcanons #hong woojin headcanons #bloodhounds headcanons #kim geonwoo x reader x hong woojin #bloodhounds kdrama imagine #woo do hwan x reader #lee sang yi x reader #headcanons #kim gun woo x reader #kim gun woo/reader #kim gun woo imagine #kim gun woo headcanons

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causeilikelix · 1 year ago

Text

During the Rainstorm - Chapter Seven

↳ Pairing: Hyunjin X OC, (Mentions of Minho x OC)

↳ Genre: Romance, angst, fluff sprinkled in, smut (eventual), slow burn, strangers/enemies(?) to lovers, non-idol au (I'm sure this'll have a happy ending but I don't have much of it written)

↳ Characters: Yoon Seol (OC), Hwang Hyunjin, Lee Minho, Kim Woojin (whoops), Bang Chan, Kim Seungmin, Seo Changbin, and maybe some other mentions of the boys

↳ See: Chapter One for full summary and blanket warnings

↳ Chapter Warnings: Graphic sexual talk but no actual sex (yet), cursing, decidedly short chapter (but worth it)

↳ Read on my AO3: HERE

↳ Notes: Sorry this chapter took so long! I moved to Korea and then I moved back to Korea after plans fell through.... anyway, enjoy!

<- Chapter Six - Chapter Eight ->

SEOL HAD NO idea who was crazier. Hyunjin for pursuing her so relentlessly, or herself for being so responsive to it. Her cheeks burned after watching that little display with the strawberry sugar.

It was needless to say, but Seol had the desperate need to say it anyway: Hyunjin was obnoxiously hot. In fact, he was probably the most beautiful person she’d ever laid her eyes on. Those plush lips, his smooth skin, and gorgeous eyes that could switch between innocence and sin at the drop of a hat left her knees wobbly and her panties wetter than anyone had ever made them.

Seol wished she could blame the aching in her core from the anticipation she had over her weekend with Minho. However, something about Hyunjin’s, well, everything made her body react to him in ways she didn’t want to think about. At this point, Seol couldn’t even confidently say that anyone else had ever elicited these kinds of reactions out of her body. Hyunjin was sure giving Minho a run for his money.

Seol walked with him side by side down the street, peering into shop windows and glancing at the vendor carts. His knuckles grazed hers every couple of steps and every single brush was lightning through her veins. His touch sparkled things in her that she’d never even imagined before. None of the shops had anything in the windows that caught her attention even half as much as he did.

Hwang Hyunjin. Tall, boyishly handsome, and straight out of a romcom. It was almost too good to be true. The fact that she had been continuously annoyed with him from the moment she laid eyes on him this morning made it worse. At the restaurant, the sight of his cheekbones that were sharper than a knife had sent her already rising blood pressure through the roof. She already was in the mood to scream and curse and cry. His arrival hadn’t helped the situation.

At least, not until it did.

Now just his touch was sending electricity through her.

Seol pretended not to be affected as she peered closer at a street vendor selling scarves. None of the patterns were quite her style but they served as a decent distraction from the next brush of his fingers. Hyunjin kept his gaze on the offerings of the various shops as well. The next stall was full of handmade jewelry and Seol perked up immediately. She stepped up to the table and the shopkeeper greeted her warmly. Hyunjin trailed behind, watching as Seol peered at the jewelry.

“Wow, you have such great taste!” The shopkeeper approved Seol's choice of a pair of earrings. A pair of seashells made out of clear crystal. “Those have been really popular.”

“Really?” Seol smiled warmly. She held the earrings up to her ear and peered in the small mirror set up on the table. “Hyunjin-ssi, what do you think?”

“I think...” He peered closer, not really seeing the earrings but instead being distracted by the brightest smile he’d seen from her all day. “I think they suit you really well.”

“How much are they?” Seol turned back to the woman.

“Hm, well... normally they’d be 35,000 won, but you two make such a cute couple that I’ll give them to you for 30,000.” The woman’s sly grin made Seol’s cheeks ignite.

“Ah... we’re not actually a cou-” Seol began, but was silenced by 30,000 won in cash appearing in front of her face. The woman snatched it up before Seol could protest.

“Thank you, ajumma. I think they look really good on her, don’t you think?” Hyunjin’s smile nearly blinded her. He took the small paper bag from the woman before Seol could even lift her hand to take it.

Seol gaped at him, unable to believe how easily he handed over his money and played along with the misunderstanding. Hyunjin’s easy smile took her off guard and she glanced down at the earrings in her hand. The woman took them from her to put them in a bag. Seol swallowed a lump in her throat. He made it seem so effortless.

“Come with me,” Hyunjin broke the barrier between them and slid his fingers into the spaces between hers.

Hyunjin gently pulled her along through the crowd. He seemed to have a destination in mind so Seol didn’t protest. A cold wind blew down the busy street but Seol couldn’t feel the chill. She couldn’t explain why she found the back of Hyunjin’s head so fascinating, but it was as if no one else existed. She was sure there were other people around her but she could only see him.

It wasn’t until Hyunjin came to a stop did Seol come to her senses. She glanced around to find that he’d let her to an open plaza at the end of the shopping street. While there was still a crowd here, the space was open enough for everyone to spread out. Hyunjin stopped them under a streetlight off to the side and away from most of the hustle and bustle. He turned her to face him before dropping her hand. Seol’s eyes glanced at it instinctively and Hyunjin’s perfect lips curved into a small smile.

“Do you want to put these on now?” Hyunjin produced the small bag with the earrings in it and offered it to her, “I like the ones you’re wearing and all, but I think these will look better with that dress.”

“Oh, uh,” Seol reached up to touch her earlobes. She’d forgotten which ones she was wearing until her fingertips grazed the silver teardrops. The ones Minho gave her. “Yes, he gave me these and I don’t wanna-”

“Let me.”

Before Seol could even touch the earrings, Hyunjin got to work. He honed in on one ear. As gently as possible, Hyunjin carefully removed one of the teardrop earrings before moving to the other. He slowly pulled the post out of her piercing. Somehow the sensation of his fingers grazing her earlobe sent lightning through her. Seol watched his face as he worked. He pulled one of his plush lips between his teeth and furrowed his eyebrows as he focused on not hurting her. Once the earrings were out of her ears, he slipped the unwanted jewelry into his pocket.

Then, Hyunjin opened the bag and pulled out the crystal earrings. The iridescent seashells glittered under the yellow glow of the streetlamp. He grinned as he watched her admire them for a few seconds. She reached for them as if to put them on herself, but Hyunjin pulled them out of reach.

“I can do it, I’m not a child.” Seol protested.

“Let me.” Hyunjin’s soft voice washed over her and Seol dropped her hands.

Seol swallowed the lump in her throat when Hyunjin put his attention on one of the earrings. He carefully removed the back and leaned in closer. All of the air between them dissipated as the space between them closed. His warm, honey smelling breath fanned across her cheek. His glossy lips were parted in concentration as he guided the post towards her piercing. She just knew that his lips would taste like strawberries. His eyes were trained on his task. As carefully as possible, he slid the post into the tiny hole on her earlobe and secured the back on it.

His fingers brushed her hair and along the skin of her neck. His warm breath fanned across her cheek. Somehow, gooseflesh bumped along her arms and a shiver ripped down her spine.

Then he switched to the other side.

Hyunjin made a show of turning his head and letting his hair fall into his face a little. His eyes were trained on her other ear as he advanced. Seol could only watch. His skin looked flawless under the light ahead, which gave him an ethereal glow. Her eyes drifted down to his parted lips.

His fingertips grazed her cheek as he swept some hair behind her ear. Seol wondered if he could tell that her cheeks were warm due to the blush spreading through her body. She wanted to curse under her breath. Curse in general, curse at him, curse at herself. She was certain that he was doing this to seduce her and the worst part wasn’t that he was trying; it was that it was working. Seol’s thoughts swirled with the idea of leaning in and finally tasting the honey on his lips.

Hyunjin fastened the earring securely and moved his hands, but not far. His hands enveloped her shoulders and his face remained within kissing distance of hers. His eyes darted from one ear to the other for a few seconds before bursting the bubble and pulling back. His face broke into a grin that turned his eyes into little crescents and deepened the dimple on his cheek.

“There! You look beautiful!” Hyunjin beamed.

“Oh, I... thank you.” Seol’s blush deepened.

“Here, do you want these back?” Hyunjin offered her his hand.

The silver teardrop earrings sat on his palm, taunting her. She wondered if she’d just been blind or stupid but they weren’t even that pretty. The metal didn’t even look silver anymore. Bits of it flaked off to reveal whatever dark metal hid underneath. The shapes didn’t look identical. Seol stared at them for a few long seconds.

“No, I don’t. Minho gave those to me for my birthday a few months ago, let’s just get rid of them.” Seol started to take them from him but suddenly Hyunjin’s eyes sparkled and he shoved his hand into his pocket with the earrings.

“I have an idea of how to dispose of them.”

“Don’t you think that a trash can is good enough?” Seol gestured to a can a few feet away but didn’t look away from him.

“Seol-ah, wanna go to the beach?”

~!~!~!~!~!~

“IT’S THE OCEAN!” Seol squealed as she left Hyunjin’s side to hurry further down the beach towards the water. The sun was long gone, so most of the ocean looked inky black and she couldn’t tell where the sky ended and the ocean began. Bright lights illuminated the white sand beach right up to a few feet into the water before turning into the void. The waves turned white and foamy as they crashed onto the shore. Seol was certain that the water would be ice cold but she could shake the idea of jumping in anyway.

Large letters were stationed in the sand with a bright light shining on the words “Haeundae”. Seol longed to visit in the summer, too.

Right away she determined that her heels would be of no use in the sand so she leaned over to take them off. Hyunjin joined her as she fiddled with the ankle strap on her silver high heels. Wordlessly, Hyunjin shrugged off his coat and laid it on the sand for her. Seol glanced over at him and he gestured for her to sit down.

“Are you sure? Isn’t that coat cashmere or something?” Seol scoffed and turned back to her task without sitting.

“Nah, I don’t bring anything cashmere within a mile of anywhere sandy.” Hyunjin took it upon himself to sit down. Seol glared at him for a second before ultimately deciding to sit next to him. “Are you planning on going in the water?”

“I have to get close enough to make sure the earrings actually make it into the water.” Seol successfully took one shoe off and set it aside before getting to work on the other.

“Aren’t you cold?”

“Sure, but who wears pants to a date? This outfit was planned with easy access in mind.” Seol reminded him when she freed her other foot. Next she reached up the skirt of her dress but Hyunjin grabbed her wrist before she could tug down.

“What the hell are you doing?”

“The only thing worse than wearing heels in the sand is sand getting into your socks.” Seol shook off his wrist and succeeded in peeling the sheer stockings off her body.

Almost as an afterthought, Seol glanced around to see if anyone else was at the beach but it was basically deserted for miles. There were a few people in either direction but they were far enough away where they weren’t going to bother one another. Seol balled up her stockings and shoved it into one of her heels, though she figured the straps wouldn’t save them from any weather, she could at least keep them from blowing away. Once her toes were free, she carefully dipped them into the cold sand. She shivered but didn’t retract her toes. The icy ocean air blew through her coat but she didn’t really care about the cold.

“It’s been ages since I’ve been to the beach.” Seol sighed, staring out into the abyss.

“Yeah, it’s been a while for me, too.”

“When was the last time you saw the ocean?”

“I’ve flown over it a few times on my way to L.A. but I haven’t had the chance to actually go to a beach in four or five years maybe?”

“Me too, I think! After I graduated from high school a bunch of my friends and I had a party on the beach to celebrate. I don’t think I’ve been back since.”

“Last time I went to a beach,” Hyunjin paused to take a long breath as if to prepare him for the words ahead, “I was with my girlfriend. I told her I loved her and she told me that she didn’t think she was capable of love.”

“Ouch. Was this the same girl who was married a few months later?”

“No, it was her cousin.”

“Double ouch.”

“Who is now married with two kids, so who’s to say. Maybe she just wasn’t capable of loving me.”

“I don’t see why not. You’re kind, generous, loyal, and more of a romantic than you want to admit.”

“You think I’m a romantic?” Hyunjin blinked at her in surprise.

“Come on, you basically saved my ass back there from my e- from Minho. Why have we spent so much time together since then? You just bought me these earrings.” Seol gestured to her ears, as if Hyunjin needed reminding of how beautifully they framed her face.

“I mean, I don’t know?” Hyunjin mused, “It's been so long since I’ve romanced anyone, I guess I wouldn’t know.”

“Well, you’ve done a decent job so far.” Seol shrugged, “Where did you put the other earrings? I think it’s time to get rid of them.”

Hyunjin patted his coat until he identified which pocket in which he’d shoved the earrings. He pulled them out of the pocket and passed them to her. The metal was cold to the touch and she winced when he dropped it into her hand. Or maybe it was from the blast of icy ocean air that ripped straight through her clothes. Or maybe it was the spark of electricity that flashed through her when the tips of Hyunjin’s fingers grazed her palm.

Seol cleared her throat and rose to her feet. The sand shifted beneath her and she held her hands out to stable herself. Hyunjin chuckled from his spot on the coat.

“Do you want me to go with you?”

“I’m just gonna get a little closer. I’ll be back. Don’t steal my shoes!” Seol started off towards the line of darker sand where the ocean met the land.

Seol had a feeling that she wouldn’t be able to last very long in the cold wind. Her toes were beginning to lose feeling and her nose was running. The last thing she needed right now was to wipe her nose while she was in the company of one of the most beautiful men she’d ever seen. She had to keep some of her dignity. She didn’t know why coming to the ocean would be a good idea during the coldest month of the year. Seol was just about ready to go back to her hotel room but she had no idea if she wanted Hyunjin to join her.

The icy water caresses her toes and a shiver ripped up her spine. Seol stared out into the darkness, unable to tell where the sea became the sky. She glanced down at the earrings in her palm.

Eight months of complete bullshit. How had she mistaken attention for affection? Minho may have liked her at some point, if not romantically then as a person at least. They wouldn’t have started hooking up otherwise. He must have liked it at least a little because this had been going on for months. She wondered what could have possibly gone wrong. When did Minho change? When did she change?

The earrings were proof that Minho may have liked her at some point. Though, he’d given them to her without much ceremony. She’d invited him to her birthday dinner and he showed up halfway through the night. He stayed for a drink, slid the box with the earrings over to her, then had one more drink before leaving. At the time, Seol had been touched. Now she wondered if he’d given her hand-me-downs or something. She wouldn’t put it past him.

A frigid wave lapped at her ankles and she shivered again.

Minho didn’t deserve all this ceremony.

She raised her arm and chucked the jewelry into the sea. Between the churning waters and the black of night she couldn’t see where they landed but it didn’t matter anymore. The earrings were gone. The void began to call. She didn’t want to fall into it, but the darkness called to her nonetheless. Seol involuntarily began to lean into the darkness, as if searching for the end.

She smelled Hyunjin before she felt him. His musky scent mixed with wool wafted into her nose. Moments later, a pair of strong arms slid around her waist. He pulled her against him, back to chest and buried his head into her neck. Seol leaned into him. She decided not to resist him any longer. His hair tickled her skin and she sighed at the sensation.

“Are you okay?” Hyunjin’s voice reverberated through her.

“I think so.”

“You’re shivering.”

“It’s February.”

“Let’s get you inside, yeah? I’ll walk you back to the hotel and we can call it a night. You need your rest.” Hyunjin offered quietly.

Seol nodded numbly.

For a few minutes, neither of them moved. Hyunjin’s warmth enveloped her and she let her eyes slide shut. With Hyunjin wrapped around her, the winter air couldn’t touch her. Seol turned in his arms and slipped her hands around his nimble waist. She buried her head in his chest and he hugged her tighter.

When she was in his arms, the void couldn’t find her. He became her tether to the mortal world. He kept her on Earth. Seol wished she could describe the feeling of being in his arms.

She wondered how many poems she would write about him.

“Don’t go.” She mumbled.

“Hm?”

“Don’t go,” Seol repeated. She pulled her face out of his chest to look up at him. Hyunjin chuckled softly, lifting one of his hands to smooth out her hair, though the wind ruined his work easily.

“I won’t. I’ll stay with you as long as you want.”

Hyunjin smiled down at her warmly. His shallow dimples dented his cheeks and his eyes sparkled, even with the lights behind him. Hyunjin’s pink lips looked warm and inviting. Seol had no desire to refuse him anymore. Warmth spread from the crown of her head to the tips of her toes. It may as well have been August.

Seol blamed her next move on the alcohol. But she had a feeling she would have done it without it, too.

She rose onto her tiptoes and slotted her mouth over Hyunjin’s sparkling smile. He tasted of sugar and strawberry juice. For a moment, Hyunjin remained still as he contemplated his new surroundings. Thankfully, he didn’t take long to melt and part his lips against hers. Seol sighed into it, gratefully kissing him deeply. She almost hated that she had to close her eyes because she longed to see what Hyunjin looked like as he worked his mouth with hers.

One of his arms remained around her waist while the other moved to cup her cheek. Using this grip on her, Hyunjin controlled the angle to keep the kiss deep. His tongue swiped along her lower lip in no time and she wasted no time in parting her lips to let him in. Seol let out an involuntary moan into his mouth which Hyunjin eagerly swallowed. The muscle swept along hers and she could only taste Hyunjin. Was it that he tasted of honey and strawberries naturally, or did they taste of him?

After a moment, Hyunjin slowly pulled away. He chuckled when Seol leaned up, chasing his lips. He allowed their lips to connect again, his plush lips pillowy against hers before moving out of her reach.

“Princess, I’ve spent all day wondering what kissing you would be like,” Hyunjin admitted with an incredulous laugh, “From the moment I saw you in that coffee shop I wanted to taste the mocha on your lips. Nothing could have possibly prepared me for how delicious you actually taste.”

“Do you want to come up?” The words were out of her mouth before she could stop them.

“What?”

Seol removed one of her arms from around his waist to point towards one of the tall hotels behind them. Hyunjin followed her line of sight until he realized what she was asking. It was what he wanted from when they first met, and now that he was getting it he wanted to be careful. He wasn’t going to take advantage of her, but her lips were too delectable to leave unkissed for the foreseeable future.

“Do you want to come upstairs with me? I have too much chocolate and champagne that will go to waste.” Seol’s explanation was weak and she knew it. They’d eaten and drunk their fill.

“Are you sure?” Hyunjin turned to look back at her. He gazed deeply into her eyes to search for the consent he needed.

“Yes. Please.”

“I would love to.”

Seol used her now free hand to cup the back of his neck. She applied some pressure and Hyunjin didn’t need to be told twice. He slipped his hands along her neck to cup her jaw and dipped down to kiss her again. They didn’t need to go immediately anyway.

A flash of lightning on the horizon fell on closed eyes.

Several seconds later, a roll of thunder found itself muffled by the surf and Hyunjin’s sigh of pleasure.

Seol suddenly had never been happier to be cheated on.

#stray kids #skz #stray kids smut #hyunjin #hyunjin smut #ellie writes #during the rainstorm #hyunjin angst #hyunjin fluff #hyunjin x oc #stray kids imagine #hyunjin imagine #stray kids angst #stray kids fluff

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sweetasmarie · 5 months ago

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The relationships of Rosalie and Stray Kids (Plus Woojin)

Chan:

Chan was the first to meet her at JYP Entertainment. Yes, she knew I.N and met Woojin before that, but Chan was the one who looked out for her when she became a trainee. She is the Korean-American version of Hannah (Chan’s words) so of course he sees her as a little sister. He is protective of her but knows when to let her fight her battles.

His nicknames for her are: Princess, doll, darling, sweetheart, love, and Rose Petal

Woojin:

When Woojin first met her, he thought she was too smart for her age. She was only 11 when she first met him, yet she convinced him to go through with auditioning for SM. When he found out she was a trainee at JYP later after he arrived, he felt the urge to protect her and care for her. He also was the first of the members, not counting I.N, to figure out her brother is GD.

His nicknames for her are: Cub, baby (not romantically), sweet pea, and jewel

Lee Know:

These two didn’t get along at first. She was slightly scared of him because of his resting face. But when she found out he used to be a backup dancer for BTS (Yoongi told her), she tried to be friends with him. The thing that solidified their friendship was finding out they shared the same birthdate. He from then on called her his birthday twin.

His nicknames for her are: Kitty, Rose Petal, flower, princess, and love.

Changbin:

This man somehow looks intimidating in front of others, but the second he saw Rosie it was like a switch flipped. He met her when in the studio with Chan and Han. She was feeling sad (her Nana’s birthday was coming up) and she wanted to be around Chan. One look at her sad teary eyed face caused Changbin to melt. He loves spoiling her and would give her the whole world if he could. (He knows she is rich too. He doesn’t care)

His nicknames for her are: Rose bud, doll, princess, angel, babydoll, and bubba (only when she needs a smile)

Hyunjin:

Oh Lordy. These two didn’t really fight but she was almost always in the middle of his fights with Han. She honestly thought they both were amazingly talented, but of course they were stubborn as all hell. So you can imagine her basically being a messenger pigeon for the two of them (Felix would say a messenger owl though) and would mediate the fights between them. In my story, she would actually be the one to get them to stop fighting. He loves her to death though. Even would take her with him to fashion shows if she has free time.

His nicknames for her are: his little vampire (thanks to Twilight), princess, doll, Belle (beauty and the beast)

Han:

He at first thought she was older than him. He started having a small crush on her and would write songs about her whenever he could. (WOW was about her) But imagine his surprise when she appeared in the studio one night, teary eyed and wanting to see Chan… Han was bright red as she ended up cuddling into him in her sleep while they sat on the love seat of the studio. Then when Chan said her age, Han looked like his eyes would pop out of his skull. His crush faded over time, but they love to platonically flirt with one another as friends, making fans excited (so many compilations of them)

His nicknames for her are: jagiya, gorgeous, beautiful, doll, babygirl, sweetheart, and his love.

Felix:

Sunshine and rose in the flesh. These two are inseparable. She always has to spend at least 10 minutes with Felix a day or she will “wilt” as she says. The first time she met him, she spoke to him in English when he looked so confused at everyone speaking Korean to him. He looked at her in awe when she spoke all the languages she knows. Felix loves baking and so does Rosie so when they are free, they bake whatever they can. Chan always expects to give away desserts since these two make so much stuff.

His nicknames for her are: Rose Petal, rose bud, flower, darling, beauty, angel

Seungmin:

Seungmin was the last to get close to Rosie. It was mainly because he thought that JYP was lying about her joining Stray Kids. He is a bit of a tsundere but the second she is within arms reach of him, you better expect to see him hugging her or holding her in some way. He is basically her puppy and loves when she runs her fingers through his hair. She must always remind him that his smile is so cute and he is always willing to show her his smile when she needs a pick me up.

His nicknames for her are: puppy, rose bud, little one, bubba (same as Changbin’s reason), darling, star, and angel

I.N:

This sweet thing had a crush on her the first two years he knew her. He was the first member to know who she was and knew about GD being her brother. They went to school together so you will hear him tell the other members that he knew her longer. His crush on her faded away when he realized it was best if they were close friends instead. Like Han, he will platonically flirt with her though as he loves seeing her blush. The second you hurt her or she is crying though, he will only see red. The song “Maknae On Top” may be about him as they share the title (Rosie’s idea) but she will always be his little baby.

His nicknames for her are: his little baby, princess, babydoll, beautiful, love, jagiya, his Maknae, and ruby (stole it from Woozi but don’t let him find out.)

Her nicknames for them:

Chan: Channie, big brother, Aussie king, papa, and handsome (she is making him take compliments)

Woojin: Woobear, Teddy bear, Woojinnie, papa #2, and her muse.

Lee Know: Birthday twin, Twinnie, Cat dad, and her kitty cat (only in front of the members. Not on camera.)

Changbin: bubs, Binnie Boo, her prince, her protector, sugar friend #2 (MeiYing is the only one she says it to)

Hyunjin: Her angel, heavenly prince, smartass (predebut), king of Versace, her artist

Han: handsome, babe, love, jagiya, Băobèi (he loves hearing her speak Chinese)

Felix: Sunshine #1, freckles, her cuddle buddy, Lixie, Xiăo Māomī Little cat (he also loves hearing her speak Chinese)

Seungmin: puppy, puppers, Minnie, pretty boy, cutie pie, sweetie

I.N: Innie, fox, baby fox, and her sweet angel.

#kpop #fanfic #stray kids 9th member #kim woojin #MeiYing is her other friend from school #This took me way too long to think of

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stuckinakillingjar · 2 years ago

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i will watch ep 6 tomorrow but here are my votes for the ep 7 groups!

switch- dang honghai, han yujin, ji yunseo, na kamden, sung hanbin, zhang shuaibo

supercharger- choi woojin, haruto, keita, krystian, park jihoo, wumuti

over me- (i literally saw this choreography and wrote "ANYTHING BUT JIWOONG" into my notes. i need this man to perform a non-sexy song for once) chen kuanjui, jay, lee hoetaek, ricky, zhang hao

say my name- (this was the first song i listened to and i was begging that this would be an ateez cover but anyways...) anthonny, cha woongki, ollie, seok matthew, takuto

en garde- kim gyuvin, kim taerae, kum junhyeon, lee yedam, park gunwook, park hanbin

for some reason i couldn't imagine jiwoong performing any of these songs so i just didn't vote him lmaoooo

#boys planet

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lordsicheng · 7 years ago

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100 Ways to Say I Love You / 19 - Lee Woojin

Lee Woojin x OC

19 - “Can I hold your hand?”

Word Count: 1,410

Woojin can’t help but look out the window of his classroom during his lunch breaks, mainly because he loved looking at the field of his school and the small little park next to it. He always daydreamed, and would even get caught off guard by his friends at times

“You’re too young for her, man.”

“Yeah, don’t get your hopes too up. She’s gonna break your heart in the end.”

“Just give up already.”

His friends would tell him that all the time whenever they saw him by the window. But Woojin doesn’t listen to them, because he knows what he’s doing and he knows he is doing nothing harmful to others. He saw you go out of the campus just next to his, and you were walking on your way to the field with your friends to start with your track and field practices. Woojin couldn’t help his excitement and literally called you

“Y/n noona!”

You looked around the campus windows until you saw Woojin, waving at you with a bright smile. You couldn’t help but smile as well back and you waved. Woojin suddenly blushed as soon as you saw him, and he definitely could not hide his excitement

“Noona! Good luck with practice! Fighting!” he yelled ever so brightly, and your friends were giggling at Woojin’s cuteness and you couldn’t help but giggle as well

“Thank you, Woojin! Study well! Do your best in class!” you called back before waving and running to the field, since your coach had been calling all of you for the past minutes or so

Woojin rested his chin on his arm as his eyes followed you, stretching and laughing with your friends in preparation for practice. He has been having a crush on you ever since he moved to this school, and you were his senior of three years. He would often go on the longer route to his house at times just to see you on your way to yours. He admired you for your friendliness and your hardworking attitude, because you always did well in your studies and were always active in the sports field.

He kept smiling the more he looked at you and admired just from afar, until he saw someone approach you. His smile immediately died down as soon as this person hugged you and gave you a water bottle as he kissed your cheek. It was your boyfriend, Park Jihoon. You’ve only dated him for a few months, and you were both very happy with each other. Woojin pouted once he saw Jihoon kiss your cheek, and sighed as he just looked down and turned to go to his seat.

“Saw her boyfriend?” one of his friends asked. He just nodded because he kind of felt helpless in this situation. He knew he was still young, and he knew you would not probably understand his feelings for you. All he could do was admire you from afar, you being unfazed of his feelings.

Until dismissal, Woojin still felt a bit down. It just hit him that you were probably not gonna be able to understand and take in all of his feelings because he was too young for you. He walked his way to his usual route home, until you saw him from afar.

“Woojin!” you called out, and his eyes widened before he could turn and see you, smiling and waving. You ran all the way to his side. You really thought he was cute, and you were really grateful that his mom was a close friend of yours.

“Noona? Where are you going?” he asked, scratching his head as you both walked together

“I need to give something to your mom from my mom.” you smiled as you put your arm on his shoulders, and he felt his cheeks heat up from this skinship. You just continued to smile as you and Woojin walked all the way to his house, his mom greeting both of you from the front door and allowing you to get inside the house.

“Please, have dinner with us! I can just call your mom for you.” his mother insisted

“It’s fine, Mrs. Lee. I need to go home early because I have lots of homework to do.” you declined politely

“You can do homework with our Woojin. And, you can help him with some subjects as well.” she patted your shoulder as she smiled

“Maybe next time, I really should be heading home now.” you smiled as you waved and walked to the front door

“Please come over often when you have the time. And bring your mom too!” she said as she opened the door for you, and you walked out

“No problem, Mrs. Lee. See you later!” you waved as you went on your way

Once Woojin’s mother closed the door, she was startled to see his son eavesdrop from the living room. Woojin then stood up properly and acted like it was nothing and tried to fix his hair

“Woojin, were you eavesdropping?” his mother asked as she walked pass him

“N-no! I just, wanted to see what we were having for dinner.” he said, stuttering

“Woojin, do you have a crush on y/n?” his mother teased, and Woojin’s cheeks turned into a light pink flush

“Mom, please stop embarrassing me.” he said as he went to his room

“Woojin, crushes are normal.” his mother assured, but Woojin already went inside his room and closed the door

It was lunch break again, and Woojin was looking through the windows in hopes of seeing you. He saw your friends, finally, but he didn’t see you. He began to wonder where you were, whether they went first before you or if you were doing something else. Or worse: you got injured. He widened his eyes and tried to calm himself down; because he was afraid he might go too paranoid. He saw Jihoon approach your friends, probably asking where you were, and your friends just shrugged and tried to tell him to go away. Woojin, seeing this, got confused all of the sudden because you were always with your friends and you never missed even one single practice. He tried to calm himself down a bit as soon as he went back to his seat, and just continued on thinking as soon as his classes were back.

Woojin was too down to even try and look for you around campus, so he just continued to walk his way out of school by himself and just go home. Besides, he must’ve thought you were sick that day since the weather has been changing from cold to hot rapidly. As he walked, he saw you sit on a bench by the bus stop, hands on your lap as you looked at the buses passing by you. Woojin didn’t want to bother you because he thought you were having a bad day, but then again, he thought he could at least do something to make you smile. He slowly approached you, and you felt someone go near you so you looked to the side and saw Woojin approach you slowly, and smiled to him.

“Woojin, hey.” you smiled as you moved to the side to let Woojin sit next to you

“Noona, are you alright?” he asked, sounding worried

“Hmm, not so.” you sighed

“Did something happen, noona? I mean, it’s alright if you don’t tell me. You just seem a little bit down…” he said as he looked at you

“It’s alright, Woojin. Me and Jihoon broke up, and it was a bit tiresome for me.” you shrugged

“I’m sorry to hear, noona. But you will find someone better very soon!” Woojin smiled, and you just giggled at how cute he looked

“Thank you, Woojin.” you smiled back as you ruffled his hair

“Noona, these things happen all the time. Please don’t be sad.” he said

“Yes, Woojin, this always happens to everyone. You’ll understand once you get to my age.” you smiled as you looked at the road again, and he did too

“Noona?” Woojin called, and you just looked at him

“Can I hold your hand?”

He suddenly asked out of the blue, and became really shy after asking this. You just chuckled and grabbed his hand, holding it firmly. He looked at his hand, and then at you. You smiled at him and ruffled his hair again, and he giggled as he looked back at you.

#the east light #lee woojin #produce 101 scenarios #produce 101 imagines #produce 101 reactions #the east light scenarios #the east light imagines #wanna one scenarios #wanna one imagines #lee woojin scenarios #lee woojin imagines

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minheeology · 3 years ago

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honey ➳ k. suhyun

pairing: kim suhyun (shin) x gn!reader

genre: fluff

warnings: light cursing, slight (?) angst??? idk maybe if you squint.

a/n: i love when i get ghost9 requests! thank you so much for sending this in anon!

i wrote this while listening to honey by boy pablo <3 i hope you enjoy

lazy days with suhyun were rare, so when one did come along, you made the most of it. you knew he was tired from everything he had going on- comebacks, tours, recordings- and you wanted nothing more than to see your boyfriend rest.

that brought you to where you were now, laying beside him on his bunk. the bed was small, but you two didn't mind, as it just brought you two closer together.

you were currently watching a romcom you two had come across on netflix, but neither one of you were paying much attention to it. in fact, you both had just been admiring each other for the last ten minutes. you both cherished moments like this, ones where you could simply be together and not have to worry about anything.

"you're so pretty," you whispered to suhyun, brushing a strand of hair out of his face, "how did i get so lucky?"

"i could ask the same thing," suhyun had a slight blush on his cheeks, "we barely see each other because of me, yet you stick around. i'm definitely the lucky one."

suhyun always had a habit of bringing that up- the fact that you two rarely saw each other because of him and the career he chose. you could tell that he felt bad because of this, but you didn't blame him one bit. none of it was his fault. after all, you two started dating after he made his debut, so you knew what you were getting into. you hated that he blamed himself.

"hey, listen to me," you placed your hand on his cheek, watching as he adjusted his gaze so he was looking at you, "i love being your significant other, okay? i love having you as my boyfriend. ever since the moment i met you, i knew i was in it for the long haul, no matter what. i've never felt like this about anyone before. being apart from you only makes me fall more in love with you. it makes every moment we spend together that much more special. i love you, suhyun."

suhyun was stunned. not only was he very much touched by your words, but you'd said the three words you'd both been too scared to say. after a few seconds, a bright smile broke out onto your boyfriend's lips.

"i love you too, y/n." he finally spoke, "i don't think i'll ever get tired of saying that."

a grin formed on your lips as you kissed him softly, "like i said, i'm so lucky."

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maatryoshkaa · 4 years ago

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young god | chapter 16

chapters: | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11| 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | epilogue |

word count: 14.3k

warnings: graphic descriptions of violence, domestic & child abuse, sexual abuse of a minor, descriptions of mental illness, death, dark themes and foul language. once again, all information regarding psychiatric conditions or courtroom procedures are to be taken with a grain of salt.

description: Han Jisung wrestles with the demons of his past as Kim Seungmin faces his own dilemma in the present, with one last chilling threat from Prosecutor Kang forcing Seungmin to make a final, crucial decision. The clock is counting down as your last chance wears thin, and one unexpected declaration is all it takes for things to change—forever.

watch the trailer here!

16| the prisoner’s dilemma.

Jisung was still frozen in place long after the heavy doors had swung shut and erased your face from his sight. His own hand felt foreign as he held it against his stinging cheek, the dull throbbing drowned out by the words still ringing in his ears.

Your friends want you to stay alive. Your mother wanted you to stay alive.

I need you to stay alive.

Bang Chan was watching him from the side, the detective’s eyes filled with equal parts amusement and wariness. Finally, he spoke. “You deserved that, you know.”

Jisung was silent, but his mind was already replaying the scene over and over again. Your anxious eyes, your voice trembling with the effort to stay steady. The slap couldn’t compare to the pain that had etched itself into your features every time he had spoken harshly, trying again and again to push you away. I know I did.

Chan sighed. “How are you feeling?”

A soft laugh escaped from Jisung’s dry mouth. “Dizzy,” he deadpanned honestly. The adrenaline was beginning to die down, but instead of leaving him sick in the stomach and with a pounding headache like usual, Jisung felt almost...lightheaded with relief. “Like...like a kid that just got told off?”

The detective chuckled, letting out his low, signature whistle. “What’d I tell you? That’s love, mate.”

Jisung looked at him now, incredulous. “Getting slapped in the face?”

“No,” Chan smiled, but for once, his eyes were serious. “Someone who cares about you enough to call you out when you’re wrong.”

Not knowing what to say, Jisung turned away, letting the ticking of the clock on the wall fill the strained silence. He could still feel Chan’s gaze on him, but it was no longer the look of a detective trying to dissect a case file. Instead, it held the same strange softness it had when Chan had pulled Jisung aside at the Third Eye, and asked if he was okay.

“I told you once,” Chan began slowly, “that everyone deserves to be loved, and that you’re no different. Of course, things have...changed,” he continued, and Jisung looked down, throat tight as he waited for Chan to finish. “But I still stand by what I said.”

Before Jisung could reply, the intercom crackled overhead. “The court hearing for Han Jisung and the Miroh Heights Murder Cases will be resuming in five minutes. All attorneys, jurors, and participants in the trial, please report to the courtroom immediately—”

“Detective, you should get going,” a security guard spoke lowly to Chan, who sighed and nodded, pulling himself to his feet. As he passed where Jisung was standing, he stopped briefly.

“You’re a good kid, Han Jisung. Even if you don’t believe it yourself...you had better start to.”

“Chan—”

The detective had reached the door when he looked over his shoulder at Jisung. He had the same old mischievous smile on his face again, but his eyes were sad.

“I hope we can grab another coffee together some time, yeah?”

━━━━━━━━

Seungmin’s head was spinning as he pushed through rooms packed with spectators and reporters until he finally stumbled into an emptier hallway. His eyes gleaned the plaques on the doors, searching for the room number the court clerks had given him after Seungmin had overheard their frantic conversation.

“We can’t just end the case here — the media and people’ll riot.”

“But we’ve lost a witness and the lead prosecutor of the case in one day — how the hell is the trial supposed to continue?”

The clerk wringed his hands. “We need to find out if there were any other prosecutors working with Kang on the case — call them in ASAP—”

And so, here Seungmin was — heart threatening to leap out of his throat, charging headfirst into a case that had been ripped out of his hands months ago. He had stepped into their conversation impulsively, and now a thousand warning bells were going off in his mind.

Kim Seungmin was not impulsive. Kim Seungmin always calculated his plans perfectly, meticulously. It was one of the reasons why he had always been at the top of his class, graduating a year early with honours. Always praised for being levelheaded and thorough.

Still, he thought, there had been one person that had seen right through him.

“You’re stressed,” you blurted bluntly, and Seungmin’s coffee cup froze midway to his lips. You were in his office, one of the many meetings you two had arranged in order to keep each other updated with information regarding Jisung’s case.

“We’re all stressed,” Seungmin replied matter-of-factly, unsure where you were going with this, but you shook your head.

“But you try the hardest out of all of us to hide it. Tell me if I’m crossing a line here, but—” you looked at him, tilting your head. “You seem like the type who’s calm and collected on the outside to...hide the fact that you’re still wrestling with nerves, and insecurities, on the inside. Like a defense mechanism.”

Seungmin fell silent. Instinctively, he felt the urge to laugh it off, but in a fleeting moment, his mind wandered to his coworkers— their condescending gazes at who they thought was just a lucky amateur, a young imposter infringing upon a field with people twice his age. Since his first day at the law firm, Seungmin had felt an unbearable desire to prove himself worthy in their eyes, and the anxious feeling ate away at him every time he touched a case.

Sensing the sudden change in mood, you quickly stammered, “I-I’m sorry, that was so unnecessary—what I’m trying to say is— it’s okay to be nervous. Don’t psyche yourself out with your own expectations for yourself. U-um—”

You trailed off, mortified, but Seungmin let out a small laugh, shaking his head lightly when your eyes widened in confusion. “No, no, it’s just…” You were smart and capable — anyone could see that — but always seemed to second-guess your own abilities. He found it almost endearing. “You really are a psychology major, Miss l/n.”

Seungmin rounded a corner and nearly slammed into someone that had just walked out of the men’s washrooms. Before he could apologise, Seungmin looked up into the man’s face and his gut twisted unpleasantly.

Prosecutor Kang seized Seungmin by the collar before he could walk away, his face livid. The younger man’s eyes darted down either side of the empty hallway, then back at his former senior. He had heard Kang was to be kept at the courthouse until the end of the trial, in case they needed anything from him. There were guards flanking every entrance and exit, so Kang couldn’t exactly escape, but seeing him walk around unsupervised still made Seungmin uneasy.

“S-sir, you can’t—”

“Do you remember what you said? What you promised?” Kang seethed, eyes wild as they raked Seungmin up and down. “‘I can handle it. I’ll find the culprit, and I’ll convict him. Death penalty, no less.’”

Hearing his own words coming out of Kang’s mouth made Seungmin wince and shrink back. Kang caught his discomfort, grinning savagely before jerking his head in the direction of the holding cells, where Jisung was. “You’re taking over the case, aren’t you? Your culprit’s right there. Everything’s been laid out for you, it couldn’t be simpler.”

Seungmin let out a shaky breath, fists clenched by his sides. Before he could open his mouth, Kang pulled him in closer, voice dangerously low.

“I always thought it was fishy, you know — someone your age, already entering the field? So I did my research.” Kang paused, smirking. “You’re a little prodigy, aren’t you? I didn’t know your parents were renowned lawyers, too.”

At that, Seungmin froze, shocked eyes darting up to meet Kang’s. It was true — born into a family of influential law enforcement officials, Seungmin had practically grown up reading about legal matters and judicial affairs. Despite his efforts to keep his parentage discreet as he grew older — hating the way their reputations always preceded his own — the expectations to follow in their footsteps had always remained suffocating. He loved law with all his heart, but his own family had become yet another reason why Seungmin had so much to live up to, and even more to lose.

The older prosecutor chuckled — Seungmin must have looked like a deer in headlights. “You can’t disappoint them, yes? You need to do everything you can to uphold the big family name.” Kang’s voice had a dangerous edge to it, like a blade. “My career might be over, little prosecutor, but I have far more power than you think. I can make sure you never step foot into this profession ever again. You want to prove yourself? To me, to your fellow prosecutors, to your parents? Here’s your chance.”

There was a snakelike glint in Kang’s eyes when he finally let Seungmin go, his words seeping through Seungmin’s mind like poison.

Prove yourself. Prove yourself. A security guard had appeared at the end of the hallway, and without another word, Kang calmly turned on his heel, letting the guard escort him away. Seungmin watched his silhouette grow fainter, feeling sick to his stomach.

Just how many cases...no, how many prosecutors had Kang manipulated for his own benefit?

He took a shuddering breath. Time was running out. Forcing his feet to move, Seungmin finally found the room, barely listening when the clerk quickly explained that the rights to the case were being transferred to him last minute.

“Ten minutes, Prosecutor Kim. You have approximately ten minutes to prepare your case.”

The roomful of law officials were watching him with doubtful eyes — the same doubtful, scornful gazes that had followed him his entire life. Ten minutes. Picking up where Kang had left off would be the smoothest, most reasonable route. Preparing an entirely different argument, however, was suicide.

Seungmin glanced up at the clock, and his heart sank.

━━━━━━━━

The commotion in the courtroom sounded like the buzzing of an agitated beehive, the constant thrumming of hushed conversations and your own erratic heartbeat fueling the tense atmosphere.

Hyunjin, Felix, Woojin, and you had sprinted straight to the courtroom after a rapid search for Seungmin had turned up futile — the prosecutor was nowhere to be seen, but judging from the murmurs you overheard around you, the case had been transferred into his hands with mere minutes to spare. You bit your lip nervously. This should have been good news, but you all knew that the odds — and time — were still against you. Looking the weariest you’d ever seen him, Bang Chan collapsed into the seat next to you. He tried to give you a reassuring smile, but as he turned away, eyes glued to the scene about to unfold, you saw that his features were strained and pale.

With a creak that send a hush rippling through the courtroom, the doors swung open to reveal more familiar faces — the judge, the prosecution, the jury. Your eyes instinctively flickered to Jisung, whose expression was as guarded as ever, and instantly felt a pang of guilt in your chest. The rest of the room, however, had fallen silent before the judge had even spoken. All their gazes were trained on the new prosecutor that had entered the room.

Seungmin felt the stares on him before he even looked up, dozens of eyes weighing down on him as if he were a butterfly pinned to a specimen table. He should have gotten used to the stares by now — this was far from his first court hearing — but when he looked out into the faces of the audience, he still felt the same squeamish anxiety he had always tried so desperately to ignore. Their expressions were dubious, condescending, unconvinced — as if all to say, is this a joke? This kid is the new lead prosecutor?

The judge cleared her throat, pushing her half-moon spectacles back onto her nose. “Thank you for your patience. The court hearing for Han Jisung and the Miroh Heights Murder Cases is now back in session. You may be seated.” She turned to Seungmin, eyes narrowed. “What is the case the prosecution will be presenting?”

Seungmin’s mind was racing as he turned over the envelope in his hands — the envelope containing Kang’s case file — and slid out the papers with numb fingertips. As he did so, familiar words echoed in his mind — words he had been told since he had first chosen to study law, and words he had forced himself to live by ever since.

“You have a big heart, Kim Seungmin — too big. Learn to control your emotions if you want to make it in this field.”

“You have to be cold, quick, and rational. Kindness is a weakness.”

“There is no room for a wavering heart in prosecution.”

He had always taken the words like bitter medicine, beyond determined to prove to his older coworkers that he wasn’t just the incompetent young prosecutor they always made him out to be. Desperate to prove to his family that he was capable, that he wouldn’t tarnish their names. Every step he had taken had been careful, calculated, all so that Seungmin could win their approval, finally escape their suffocating scrutiny.

“Your Honour,” Seungmin began, “as a prosecutor, I was taught that my duty is to defend the rule of law to ensure justice is served, no matter how harsh it may be.”

You watched the young prosecutor speak carefully, his grave expression making your gut twist. Kim Seungmin, Chan had told you once in passing, came from a family of established lawyers — a child prodigy with big shoes to fill, and everything to lose. And now, you realised with dread, his words seemed to be an exact echo of Prosecutor Kang’s.

Seungmin’s stomach was fluttering as if it were his first trial again, heart palpitating with each passing moment as he was seized with the sudden urge to run. Taking a deep breath, his gaze flickered up to meet yours in the audience — your blazing eyes, charged with emotion, your heart always written so clearly across your adamant features. You, who stopped at nothing in order to protect what you believed was right.

Prove yourself. Prove to everyone you’re good enough, strong enough.

He closed his eyes, knowing that he would regret what he was about to say.

“But I was also taught that a good prosecutor is one that uses the law to protect the people.” Seungmin swallowed hard, sliding Kang’s papers back into the envelope and dropping it onto the desk behind him. “Thus, the case I am presenting today is not one that intends to prove Han Jisung guilty of first degree murder.”

The entire room erupted in frantic murmurs, the judge hurriedly banging the gavel to maintain order. Seungmin caught a glimpse of Jisung’s expression — the boy was still looking down, but his face had paled in surprise at the prosecutor’s sudden declaration. Just then, the doors burst open, a red-faced clerk with a handful of padded envelopes ducking in and hurrying to Seungmin’s side.

“What you requested, sir,” the clerk explained quietly, handing him the envelopes, and Seungmin recalled the conversation they had had in the conference rooms, just before the trial had recommenced.

“There are ten minutes remaining until we have to begin,” the clerk informed Seungmin worriedly, seeing the young prosecutor’s tense face. “Is there anything you need from the former prosecution? Since these are special circumstances, I can have them brought to you as soon as possible during the trial.”

Either ten minutes to gather the evidence he needed, Seungmin thought dismally, or ten minutes to build a strong argument from what he—no, Kang—already had.

“Listen carefully.” Screwing his eyes shut, Seungmin continued, “Please fetch me Han Jisung’s camcorder footage — the memory cards — and Yang Jeongin’s Walkman tapes from Prosecutor Kang’s archives. All of them, immediately.”

The knot of anxiety in Seungmin’s chest finally began to unclench, the envelopes’ contents anchoring him in place with a reassuring weight. He turned to the judge, surprised at the newfound authority in his own voice. “The prosecution maintains that Han Jisung is not guilty of first degree murder. We will be presenting all the evidence Prosecutor Kang excluded, and examining the case from all angles so that the jury may form an accurate judgement and verdict.”

“That’s—an entirely new argument,” Hyunjin whispered incredulously beside you. “How did he come up with a case in ten minutes?”

“He didn’t. He’s building his case on the spot,” Chan realised out loud, a small smile spreading on his lips. He leaned forward with a glint of pride in his eyes. “Now that’s the Kim Seungmin I know.”

You watched as Seungmin called up his first witness, who was none other than Kang’s psychiatric expert. “You introduced yourself as the psychiatrist involved with this case — responsible for analysing the defendant’s mental condition, correct?”

The red-nosed man coughed nervously. “Y-yes, uh, well — the defendant was unwilling to speak during the evaluation, so we were unable to gain much personal testimony—”

“That shouldn’t be a problem,” Seungmin picked up one the envelopes, handing it to the court clerk and motioning for him to project the contents. “The following is recovered footage from a camcorder the defendant was gifted when he was six years old, and developed a habit of carrying around.” He turned towards the psychiatrist. “It’s raw, untampered footage containing experiences from the defendant’s childhood. I want you to watch it and answer a few questions. There is, however, graphic content, and I advise the spectators to view it with caution.”

You saw Seungmin cast a worried look towards Jisung, and you knew how the prosecutor was feeling. After nearly thirteen years of Jisung hiding his past from even his closest friends, it was all suddenly being thrust under the harsh light — in front of a roomful of people who wanted to sentence him to death, no less — but you both knew that this was your last chance.

The projector whirred as the clerk inserted the first memory cards into the computer. The memory cards had been confiscated by Kang before you had gotten the chance to watch them yourself — what you did know about the footage came from the bits Chan had recounted for you after several insistent phone calls, and what Jisung himself had told you that fateful night. Uneasiness stirring in your chest, you watched as the screen came to life, blurry colours and pixelated outlines taking shape.

There was nothing out of the ordinary at first — short clips of chipped action figures on dusty windowsills, or toy cars rolling idly across wooden floors. The footage was shaky, as if the person holding the camcorder could barely support its weight. Jisung had barely been six years old, you remembered, feeling a strange feeling of sadness wash over you. It was as if you were watching a movie you already knew the ending to, and all that was left in your gut was a sinking dread at what was about to come.

As the clerk flipped through the footage, a faint sound pricked at your ears, and you jerked your head up, listening to make sure you had heard right — and sure enough, there it was. Muffled shouting, like it was coming from another room in the house, something heavy shattering on the floor — and judging from the murmurs and faces of the spectators around you, they heard it as well. The camcorder was still pointed at the action figurines, but had frozen stiffly — as if the child holding it was listening, too.

More scenes began to unfold, one after another. A birthday, six lopsided candles glowing on a small white cake. Jisung humming a familiar tune with a woman you assumed was his mother. And clip after clip where the camcorder was pointed at the ceiling of a dark room — Jisung’s childhood bedroom — as the sounds of arguing and yelling echoed through the walls. Slowly but surely, the scenes began to grow familiar.

“February 22nd, 2005.”

The day Jisung had stumbled across another woman in his parents’ bed, and his father had terrorized him until he promised not to tell anyone.

“June 3rd, 2006.”

His face-to-face encounter with his father’s mistress, one that left scars in the form of cigarette burns, red-lipped smiles, and tainted touches.

“December 31st, 2009.”

The day everything had gone wrong.

Stomach lurching, you watched as everything Jisung had told you — his rough voice shaking in your darkened apartment, dark eyes holding nightmares of years long past — took the form of grainy camera footage. His father crashing through the doorframe, hands choking the life from the woman beneath him. Even though the camera quality was poor, the woman’s pleading eyes, rolled up towards the tiny crack in the closet where Jisung had been hidden, seemed to pierce directly through you.

It all seemed to happen in a flash — in the blink of an eye, there were flames licking bloodstained floors clean, the camcorder out of focus as Jisung limped through thick white snow and finally collapsed on top of his mother’s cold body. The gritty screams of anguish and pain seemed to ring in your ears long after Seungmin stopped the footage, and you lifted a shaking gaze to Jisung’s face. His eyes had been cast downwards the entire time, but even from across the room, you could see his violently trembling jaw, the ragged heave of his chest. How many times had he lived through this footage himself — in his nightmares, through half-delirious flashbacks, every time he closed his eyes?

“Thirteen years ago, there was a massive fire on the outskirts of Miroh Heights. The Han house was burned to the ground and left a single boy alive, without any relatives to take custody. Unable to fathom what exactly happened, police filed it away as a gas explosion, and the boy was tossed around foster homes and orphanages until it was eventually forgotten,” Seungmin informed them. He thanked Woojin internally as he spoke — after mentioning several times that Jisung’s past sounded strangely familiar, the police captain had been the one to finally connect the dots between the two cold cases, thirteen years apart.

“There were initial speculations of domestic abuse, but they were never investigated thoroughly. The case was neglected, left cold, and when the statute of limitations expired, it was simply dismissed as another tragedy.” Seungmin nodded at the clerk again, who slid the next memory card in.

This card was filled with what sounded like endless psychological evaluations — disembodied voices introducing themselves as social workers, child psychiatrists, and the like, all mercilessly bombarding Jisung with personal questions. The first half was either entirely black or out of focus, as if Jisung had been holding the camcorder down and clutching it close to his body. They had all given up when the young boy could barely get his answers out, the lingering fear and untreated trauma having locked his voice in his throat.

“He’s a lost cause.”

“Problem kid.”

“Impossible to treat.”

You clenched your fists every time a social worker left the room, muttering under their breath in annoyance. Then, as the clips grew clearer, a child with round, catlike eyes and a pale expression beginning to appear in several of the frames.

Lee Minho.

“At the beginning of this decade, we all know that Miroh Heights went through an economic rift — workers were laid off, young children abandoned on the streets. During these times, child abuse and child trafficking cases also skyrocketed.” Seungmin spoke as the screen flashed, the scene now showing what looked like a filthy, unfinished basement floor.

“We witnessed a rise of ‘suicide killers’ — namely, perpetrators who would kidnap and murder their own family members or vulnerable strangers before ending their own lives. Many were acting on their anger and grief through violence; others saw it as a form of revenge.”

With a wince, you remembered what Minho had told you on the rooftop of the hospital that evening — when he and Jisung had been lured into a man’s home by their own hunger, and woke up to him trying to kill them. The sound of approaching footsteps filled the speakers, the camcorder pointed at an awkward angle and shaking uncontrollably before it clattered to the ground, and the footage cut out.

When the next clip began, it was pointed down at wide-eyed, twelve-year-old Jisung.

“Ah, now this is jus’ perfect. The cops’ll love this, yes they will.” You shivered at the man’s hoarse voice behind the camcorder, flinching as the barrel of a gun was pressed to Jisung’s forehead. “Now, boy — I want you to beg for your life — go on.”

Frozen in your seat, you watched as all hell broke loose — the man pressing the trigger just as Jisung managed to cut the cords free, the camcorder smashing into concrete as Jisung fought for his life. When the lens finally focused again, what you saw made your blood run cold. A twelve-year-old boy kneeling before the mangled corpse of a grown man, cherub-like face drenched with crimson. You heard Minho’s shallow, terrified breathing behind the camcorder as Jisung turned towards him, the look in his eyes sending an icy chill down your spine. It was the exact same look he had given you when you had found him at the diner, screaming out his name as if trying to wake him from a nightmare.

Emptiness.

Even through the grainy film, you could catch the moment Jisung’s consciousness returned to him, soft brown eyes shifting and focusing into a childlike, dazed expression once again.

“Minho, can we go home?”

The footage sputtered to a stop. The visceral scene had been exactly as the coroner had described to you on the hospital rooftop, and yet nothing could have prepared you for it. You only realised how badly you had been shaking when Felix gently nudged you, peering at your face worriedly. When you forced yourself to unclench your fists, you winced at the red half-moon weals your nails had left in your palms.

“Both the defendant and coroner Lee Minho were involved in a kidnapping case, and subjected to extreme violence at the ages of twelve and thirteen. The perpetrator died in the incident. There was no culprit to catch. Once again, the case was buried, under the economic turmoil Miroh Heights was experiencing, by neglectful law enforcement.”

Seungmin turned back to look at the psychiatrist. “Now, I’m no expert in analysing family matters, but I think we can confirm several cases of domestic abuse from this footage alone. Parental neglect. Repeated exposure to violence. Years of sexual harassment. How would you psychoanalyse a patient who has gone through these events?”

The red-faced man was evidently shaken, wiping the sweat from his brow as he stuttered out, “This — this is more than enough to cause severe cases of post-traumatic stress disorder.” His eyes darted around the courtroom nervously, as if the words were refusing to come out of his mouth.

“He looks like he’s scared,” you murmured. “Like he’s still unwilling to talk.”

“Kang must have made some sort of a deal with him,” Woojin replied under his breath, shaking his head. “But it’s all over now — he’s got nothing more to lose.”

“You swore an oath before the trial began,” Seungmin pressed sternly, not taking his gaze off the nervous man. “‘I do solemnly declare that the evidence I shall give shall be the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.’ Tell me the truth, sir.”

Cowering under Seungmin’s hard gaze, the psychiatrist finally caved. “The...the fact that these events took place during the defendant’s childhood is even more significant. Children’s minds are—are molded from a very young age. The majority of your adult behaviour is shaped by what you’ve experienced as a child, you see.”

“Earlier, you mentioned the possibility of sociopathy. You reached this conclusion because of the defendant’s criminal records, and reported behaviour such as —” Seungmin pulled out Kang’s papers, quickly flipping through. “Theft. Pyromanic, destructive, and self-destructive tendencies.” He raised an eyebrow at the boys from the diner attack. “Bordering on multiple personas.”

“U-uh, well — using the information given during the previous trial, those symptoms did correlate strongly with antisocial personality disorder. But with this newfound context —” the psychiatrist lowered his head meekly, “th-the symptoms are actually closer to those of an individual suffering from extreme, untreated, PTSD.”

Exhaling slowly, Seungmin nodded at the judge. “Post-traumatic stress disorder. Let’s re-examine the defendant’s behaviour under this lens, then. How would PTSD explain violent tendencies in a child?”

“They’re a form of an exaggerated startle response — a sudden reaction triggered by something that upsets the patient. It’s a common long-term aftereffect of childhood abuse or trauma. Some patients fall unconscious, some experience panic attacks or seizures. In the case of Han Jisung...it came in the form of repeated violent outbursts.”

You thought back to the man Jisung had attacked, seemingly out of nowhere at the Yellow Wood — the dead man whose girlfriend, Chan had told you, had actually come to the precinct a few days before Jisung’s trial.

“She was crying real bad. I thought she would want him—Jisung—dead, that she would tell us to convict him, no matter what,” Chan had told you, the detective’s face still twisted in confusion. “And she doesn’t want to testify — she’s still dealing with the trauma, and doesn’t want anything to do with the trial. But y/n — the girl was crying for him. For Jisung. Said that the kid stepped in right when her boyfriend was hitting her, and — told her to go home.”

An exaggerated startle response. You remembered it from your classes, a sudden reaction triggered by something that upset the patient. Like domestic abuse. Unsolicited sexual approaches. Or, you shivered, little things — like the colour red. His father, his mistress, his mother, his kidnapper — did Jisung constantly see their faces in the shadows, in strangers that were repeating the same mistakes?

“The witnesses who knew Han Jisung when he was younger,” Seungmin continued, turning to the two injured boys from the diner, “also testified that he often changed expressions ‘like a mask.’ Assuming this is true, why might the defendant exhibit this sort of behaviour?”

“Abused children — or people who have experienced severe trauma — can develop dissociative habits. Disconnecting from past memories, information, or even present experiences as a defense mechanism...which is why the defendant might appear to change moods often, or show drastically different sides of himself in different situations.”

“In other words,” Seungmin said slowly, brow furrowing in concentration, “the defendant experienced so many traumatic events during his childhood, that the untreated aftereffects impaired his emotional development into adulthood. Which would explain why his startle response slowly morphed, on a larger scale, into something extremely violent and dangerous.”

The psychiatrist looked weary and defeated. “Correct.”

Motioning for the man to take a seat — which he did gladly — Seungmin pulled out the next envelope — the coroner’s photos from the Yellow Wood attacks. Wordlessly, he projected them onto the screen, eliciting small gasps of horror and disgust around the room.

“Earlier, Prosecutor Kang argued that the violent mutilation of the victims was proof that the perpetrator performed these gruesome acts and mutilations out of personal enjoyment and depravity.” Seungmin turned to address the judge, voice firm.

“Your Honour, under this new context, I would argue that the photos only serve as further visual evidence depicting the defendant’s mental state at the time of the crime.” He flipped through the images. “Multiple wound sites, messy blood spattering, extreme blunt force trauma. And—if the coroner was telling the truth—a stone from the scene of the crime as the murder weapon. All these signs lead us to believe that the defendant’s actions, no, his judgement, was acutely impaired. This response, these attacks, were triggered due to a pre-existing mental condition.”

The room shifted uneasily as his words sunk in, and the judge fixed her stern gaze onto Seungmin. “Does the prosecution have any evidence that directly refutes the previous claim of first degree murder? To prove that the murders were not premeditated, or intentional, beyond a reasonable doubt?”

Think, Seungmin, think. He racked his mind furiously, trying to recall every piece of evidence that you, Chan, and Woojin had gone through with him. Photographs, diagrams, testimony transcripts — Seungmin’s eyes trailed off to the pile of envelopes the clerk had brought, and landed on the packet containing Yang Jeongin’s tapes.

That’s it.

“Yes, Your Honour.” He cleared his throat, mind racing to connect the dots. “As we all know, the living witness of the Yellow Wood attacks, Yang Jeongin, was attacked at around three o’clock in the morning. He worked several late shifts for delivery companies around the town.” Seungmin nodded towards Jeongin. “What we did not know until recently, however, is that the witness had a hobby of recording himself during these shifts on his own Walkman.”

An alarmed murmur rippled through the crowd as Seungmin shook the tapes out from the envelope, handing them to the clerk. After several tense moments, there was a faint crackling, and the recording began to play.

The first tape held a medley of acoustic songs the delivery boy had mixed himself — just as you had remembered it.

The second tape was empty — the one Minho had stolen from the scene of the crime, and you had eventually recovered from his office.

When the clerk popped in the third, the soft sound of breathing and crunching gravel filled the room, and you shivered. This was the tape you had listened to with Seo Changbin — the tape that had turned your entire life upside down.

“I.N. here! It is currently...2:04 A.M.!”

You glanced at the faces around the room — everyone was on edge, and you felt no different. You could still hear Jeongin’s cry of surprise and pain echoing in your ears, the horrible crash as he hit the forest floor. What was Seungmin thinking? How was a recording of the witness being attacked going to prove Jisung’s innocence? If anything, it was incriminating evidence.

Jeongin’s cheery, oblivious voice continued until you heard the woman’s scream in the distance, muffled under the delivery boy’s distracted humming. Then, a man crying out in guttural pain — the man, you knew now, that had been killed by Jisung in the Yellow Wood. The sounds of leaves crunching and branches snapping under the bicycle wheels grew louder, and you knew that this had been the moment Jeongin had entered the Wood — heading closer and closer towards what would later become the scene of the crime.

“Hello? Is everything okay over there?” There was a small gasp of horror as Jeongin caught sight of the body. “U-um. Is he—do you need help? I can call an ambulance. What hap—”

It happened before you could flinch to cover your ears. The horribly familiar crunch of stone meeting skull, a cry of pain cut off by a deafening whump as the Walkman had slammed against the ground. The entire courtroom seemed to hold its breath as it listened, and only then did it finally hit you why Seungmin was playing the tapes. As the sound of another boy’s jagged, uneven breathing filled the speakers, you suddenly remembered what came at the end of the recording. The first time you had heard it, it had made your heart plummet straight down into the pit of your stomach, sending your entire world crashing down around you.

This time, the fluttering in your chest felt almost like hope.

Han Jisung’s voice, choked with raw, horrified sobs, echoed through the room, and you saw everyone freeze.

“Who—why? Why is it you? Why are you here?”

The crying was muffled by the sound of hands fumbling over Jeongin’s clothing, as if frantically checking for a pulse. Seungmin stopped the tape, turning towards the bewildered jury. “Do those sound like the words of a cold-blooded psychopath?”

The judge waved a hand towards Jeongin. “Can the witness himself attest to this?”

“I...I blacked out pretty quickly,” Jeongin answered slowly, furrowing his brow as if it still hurt to remember. “But the last thing I remembered seeing was...a boy’s crying face over me, trying to make sure if I was okay.”

“Can you identify this boy?”

Nodding, Jeongin pointed to Jisung.

“Furthermore,” Seungmin continued, tapping the cracked silver Walkman, “these tapes were found in Yang Jeongin’s clothing after he was admitted to the hospital. If the defendant had truly attacked Mr. Yang out of cold blood, he wouldn’t have left such incriminating evidence in the boy’s hands. And if Han Jisung had no idea he was being recorded, that rules out the possibility of him faking the recordings as well.”

“Even so,” the judge replied, stern eyes narrowed, “we cannot be sure that Han Jisung did not intend to leave Yang Jeongin to die. There are many murder cases where the perpetrator shows remorse almost immediately, but still attempted to cover up the crime.”

“Of course. However, Your Honour, you may also remember that Yang Jeongin was not found in the Yellow Wood where the attacks had initially taken place...but rather, the doorstep of Glow Cafe.” At this, Hyunjin looked up, eyes narrowed, and Seungmin motioned for the clerk to continue playing the clip. After several moments, you heard the rough sound of cloth scraping against the ground, growing louder and louder — as if something was being lifted and dragged.

No. You could still hear Jisung’s broken breathing underneath the sound, and the realisation hit you.

Jisung was carrying Jeongin’s body.

You had thought the tape had already ended the first time you’d listened with Seo Changbin in his record shop — after Jisung’s voice had made you shove the Walkman away, not daring to believe what you had just heard. For days, it had sat, neglected in your apartment, until you had brought it into Seungmin’s office for him to look at. The next day, it had already fallen into the hands of Prosecutor Kang, but by some stroke of luck, Seungmin must have already managed to listen to it in its entirety beforehand.

“Yang Jeongin was found at around 4 in the morning, when Hwang Hyunjin, the owner of Glow Cafe, was awoken by the doorbell. The ringer of this doorbell was never identified, because any possible fingerprint evidence was already contaminated and rendered useless by the time Mr. Yang was safely transported to the ICU.”

The sound of dead leaves and dirt crunching under the soles of Jisung’s shoes gave way to hard concrete as he reached the main road. There was a soft thump as Jeongin was lowered onto the ground, Jisung’s laboured breathing filling the still night air.

Then the familiar chime of Glow Cafe’s doorbell pierced through the speakers, and you watched as Hyunjin jolted up, mouth falling open in disbelief.

“Yes. It’s exactly what you’re all thinking.” Seungmin turned to face the stunned spectators as the sound of Jisung’s footsteps grew fainter as he ran away, and the tape ended. “The defendant was the same person who saved him.”

The judge cleared her throat unsteadily, grim eyes flickering between Seungmin and Jisung. “Does the defense have anything to say to this?”

For the first time since the trial had started, Jisung lifted his head. He was met with a roomful of mixed stares — apprehension, curiosity, fear — and he felt his tongue immediately dissolve into dust, the words sticking to his throat like congealed poison.

When Jisung stayed silent, Seungmin spoke carefully, “A fair trial wouldn’t be complete without hearing from the defendant himself. In his own words.” His eyes were almost gentle, fixing a steady look on Jisung’s dark, wary face. “Would you like to testify?”

Your heart was hammering in your throat as the silence grew thicker and thicker. After what felt like an eternity, it was finally broken by the creak of the chair as Jisung pushed it back and stood up. To your utter surprise, he stepped up to the middle of the room, wordlessly turning to face Seungmin. Still, the look on his face held the same blank, guarded expression you had seen so many times when your sessions with him had taken a turn for the worse, and you gripped the edge of your seat uneasily, having no idea what to expect from this turn of events.

If Seungmin was as surprised as you were, he did a better job at hiding it. He muttered something to the clerk, who began to project familiar faces and photos onto the screen. The victims, you realised, and the crime scenes. A slim woman in her thirties, her thin lips a smudge of bright red, next to a photo of charred blood and bone. The prostitute.

“Do you recognise this woman?” Seungmin asked, pointing to her picture.

Jisung frowned, furrowing his brow at the picture. Something seemed to stir in the back of his mind, but there was a dull throbbing in his temples that made it difficult to focus. “I—I’m not sure.”

Someone in the crowd made an unconvinced sound, and Jisung shrunk back. The pictures went on and on — a corpse mangled with chemical burns, a man’s body swinging from the rooftop, a bashed-in skull on the forest floor. Each image made Jisung’s head pound, the floor beginning to spin as if threatening to split open beneath his feet and swallow him whole. Did he recognise them? Glimpses of their faces flashed in the back of his mind like jumbled jigsaw pieces, but the more he tried to grab onto them, the more they fell apart. His fingertips tingled with the faint, itching memory of a stranger’s blood — strangers who, in a fleeting moment, had taken the shape of a former tormentor. Father. Mistress. Hurt. Pain.

“I can’t — remember anything,” Jisung choked hoarsely. He remembered blacking out, and waking up. He remembered his nightmares, his flashbacks. But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t remember the faces staring back at him from the screen.

You sound insane, a voice in the back of his mind hissed. As he met the eyes of the jury, he could almost hear what they were thinking.

You really are a psychopath.

Sensing the doubtful whispering beginning around the room, Seungmin hurriedly moved onto the next question. “Let’s — let’s go back to the psychiatrist’s statements, then. Mr. Han, could you tell me what it was like growing up in your family?”

His question was met with silence again, Jisung screwing his eyes shut as the prosecutor’s voice echoed in his head. Family. It was a word that brought ugly memories bubbling to the surface every time, memories made of broken beer bottles and pale, bruised cheeks. His head was aching, a cold sweat forming in his palms as he clenched his fists, stomach churning. No. No. He couldn’t talk about it — wouldn’t talk about it —

“Can you...tell me about your mother’s eyes?”

The abrupt, familiar question, carried by the prosecutor’s softened voice, was what made Jisung open his eyes again, the trembling in his hands stilling. The room around them was shifting with confused murmurs at the strange question, but Seungmin didn’t break eye contact with the younger boy.

The prosecutor watched Jisung’s fists slowly unclench, brow furrowing slightly as he recognised the question, and Seungmin thought back to the conversation he had had with you over the phone after you had woken up in the hospital.

“What’s this?”

“A psychiatric analysis — on Jisung,” you explained, referring to the report files you had sent the prosecutor. “I know it’s not — not much, but...”

“For all we know, it might be the only existing verbal testimony that Jisung has,” Seungmin assured you. “From what I’ve heard, he’s never opened up to anyone before. What I meant was, why are you sending it to me?”

You bit your lip. “Chan isn’t allowed to stand trial, and I — I haven’t graduated yet, so my thesis won’t be taken seriously as evidence. I can’t testify as a psychiatric expert, either. But I thought that — I could at least tell you all the questions that lead me to his diagnosis. In case you get to question him at the trial — he’ll know they’re my questions. Maybe...he’ll finally change his mind.”

Seungmin sighed wearily. “I was removed from the case this morning, Miss l/n. I don’t even know if I’ll be able to step foot into the courtroom, let alone question him.”

And so the questions had been left, buried and forgotten in the back of Seungmin’s mind — until this exact moment, when he had remembered them just in time.

What comes to mind when you think about your mother’s eyes?

Jisung’s vision went black as his senses were flooded with memories, nearly sending him doubling over. His mother’s eyes. The last time he had looked into those eyes, they had already been glazing over, the life in them seeping away as her blood pooled over the broken floorboards of his childhood home. His mother’s eyes. Suddenly, it was as if he was ten years old all over again, shrouded in the shadows of a cramped closet as his father strangled the life out of his mother right in front of him.

Guilt, he wanted to say. Pain. The kind that never goes away. Blinking feverishly, Jisung’s gaze darted around the room — and when he finally found your face in the audience, he felt his heart stop.

You were looking at him with the exact same eyes his mother had, that day.

From your first date to this very moment, Jisung never knew why you had always reminded him so much of her — you two looked nothing alike, after all. Wherever he went, he had always been chased by fragments of the nightmares he wanted to forget, demons of his past that had taken the forms of the man at the Yellow Wood, the red-lipped hooker, Na Jangmin, Park Beomsoo. And yet every moment he spent with you, he caught familiar glimpses of her instead — pieces of the only warmth, and happiness, and home he had ever known before it had all been cruelly ripped away.

For years, the only thing he had been able to remember was that day. How his mother’s eyes had been wide and pleading as she bled out on the floor, desperately shaking her head at him before finally falling limp. The flames and endless smoke seemed to eat away at his happier memories until there was nothing left but ashes and tar.

But you made him remember a time before everything went wrong, when things had been peaceful, when he still had somewhere — someone — to go home to.

For thirteen years, he had been running from the memory, from the feeling, afraid that confronting it would make him relive the pain all over again. But now, for the first time, Han Jisung wondered if he had missed something else among those repressed memories all along.

His mother’s eyes as she shook her head one last time had been warm, not just because they had been filled with pain and tears — but because they had been blazing with one last, unspoken message. The same one he saw reflected in your own eyes now.

When you shook your own head gently, pleading eyes brimming with tears, the message finally rang clear in his mind.

Don’t blame yourself for what happened. Han Jisung, you have to keep on living.

Stunned, he tore his gaze away, only to see Bang Chan watching him with the same expression — then Woojin, Seungmin, Felix, Yang Jeongin. Even Hwang Hyunjin had worry written all over his face — worry for him — and it all suddenly hit Jisung like a punch in the gut.

Why did all these people fight for him?

Why had his mother died for him?

What comes to mind when you think about your mother’s eyes?

“Love,” Jisung breathed, his soft voice filling the empty silence. “Love.” The memories were coming back to him now — not in jagged, gut-wrenching flashes, but slowly. Steadily.

For the first time in his life, Han Jisung was in control.

“Can you tell me about your parents?” Seungmin pressed gently, seeing the tension slowly leave Jisung’s body.

“My parents,” Jisung repeated. His mouth felt like it was trying the words out. He remembered once, when you had asked him the same question, his head had felt like it was on the verge of splitting. Now, the memories felt strangely detached, as if he were telling someone else’s story. “They were happy once, or at least that’s what I’ve heard.” He paused. “My...father...never wanted to get married. They never planned to...have me, but my mother refused an abortion. They — it was a shotgun wedding,” Jisung finished quietly. “And then things got worse from there.”

“What was it like growing up in your family?” Seungmin tried the question again, watching Jisung carefully.

“My old man’s favourite thing to tell me growing up was how I was never wanted,” Jisung gave a weak smile. “I think you can imagine.”

You watched as Seungmin continued asking Jisung your questions, as if slowly coaxing the answers out from the darkness and painting the cold courtroom with the scenes of Jisung’s past.

“My mother was a waitress. The work was tough, but it didn’t pay much. My father convinced her to work more shifts, so that she was around as little as possible. During that time, he…” Jisung swallowed hard. “He had his affairs with other women when she wasn’t home, and beat her bloody when she was. She always tried to hide it from me, too — said the less I knew the better, but I was getting older, and my father’s anger was slowly shifting over to me. And when his...mistresses stayed over, they started noticing me, too.” Jisung fell silent then, and you suddenly thought back to the white burn scars on his arms and legs, the numerous unexplained markings on his stomach bringing tears to your eyes. How many more did he have hidden on his body, painful reminders binding him to a past he tried so hard to forget?

“Your Honour,” Seungmin finally broke the hushed silence, “with all the information taken into consideration, I think we can confirm beyond a reasonable doubt that the defendant has witnessed numerous traumatic events during his childhood — and that they more than likely worsened his mental condition as he grew older.” Seungmin turned to Jisung, remembering another question you had written in your report. “How...do you cope with the past?”

Jisung was silent for several moments before answering, his words echoing your last therapy session. “I...don’t….like to think about it, or remember it. Every time I do, I…” he trailed off unsteadily, and he tried again. “E-every time, I...I…”

His throat was closing up again, the words echoing in his mind as if mocking him. How was he supposed to explain the headaches that never truly went away, the dizziness that hit him like a punch in the gut? Or, worse, the gaps in his memories when he blacked out, making him feel as though he were slowly going insane?

Stay silent, whispered a voice in the back of his head. Who will understand you? Who will believe you? He looked back at the roomful of faces, their cold, wary stares piercing through him like knives. You were never meant to live. You should have died on that day, thirteen years ago—

“Han Jisung, you are such an idiot.”

The sudden memory of your voice cut through his thoughts and made him jolt in surprise— but it didn’t stop there, all the things you had once told him slowly growing louder and louder and jarring him awake from his own thoughts.

“You’re not the psychopath they’re making you out to be. I know you.”

He remembered the way you had relaxed and fallen asleep in his arms, even after you had found out they were stained with blood, because you trusted him completely.

“I don’t want you to show me. I want you to tell me. I want to hear it from you, in your own words, Jisung.”

He remembered your face every time he had tried to tell you about his past — your soft, patient eyes and gentle voice, the worry and genuine concern on your face that he had always mistaken for repulsion and fear. You had been shaken, definitely, terrified, even — but you had always been willing to listen to him speak, even when Jisung had been too afraid to try.

“I like you, Han Jisung. I. Like. You.”

He met your eyes across the room then, and felt a small, incredulous breath leave his lips. It was you — it was always you, who had the power to make the walls he had built around himself crumble to dust with a single touch; you, pulling him out of the darkness he had always succumbed helplessly to; you, who had finally woken him from the living nightmare he had been trapped in his entire life.

You reminded him what it was like to live again. You made him want to live again, without fears, without regrets.

“Mr. Han? Could you please describe how these memories make you feel? How you usually deal with them?”

“I don’t know how to,” Jisung breathed out at last. “Every time I try to remember, my...heart starts racing like my chest is about to burst. My head pounds until I can’t see anything, and — it’s like something in there...snaps. And then I...black out completely.”

Seungmin nodded, glancing back to the nervous, red-faced man. “Do you have...anything to add or deny regarding the psychiatrist’s diagnoses?”

“You were right,” Jisung replied simply, but he wasn’t talking to the psychiatrist. He was looking straight at you, and to his own surprise, a smile tugged at his dry lips. It felt like the simple sentence had somehow set him free. “I have trouble sleeping, because I always end up having the same nightmares. There’s missing blank spots in my memories when I wake up in a place I don’t recognise, with no idea how I got there.”

Jisung watched as your eyes widened, recognising his words — he was echoing the same symptoms you had confronted him about during your last therapy session, the ones he had coldly denied out of panic and fear. “I’ve always been afraid to let people get close to me. But sometimes, there are things that — that remind me of times that I’d rather forget, and before I know it, everything begins to spiral out of control.” He gave a small smile to Seungmin, who had stayed silent, surprised at Jisung’s sudden honesty. “That’s it, then. The whole truth, and nothing but the truth.”

You watched as Jisung’s eyes flickered around the room, face as open and tranquil as a child’s — and that was what nearly broke your heart. Knowing that somewhere, beneath the prison uniform that was too baggy for his lean, tired frame, was the shell of a child the world had failed, a child that had given up asking to be saved.

“No further questions,” Seungmin said quietly, and Jisung walked back to his seat as the young prosecutor turned to face the judge. “Your Honour,” he began slowly, as if momentarily unable to find the words. “I think we have reason to believe that the attacks were provoked — not exactly by the victims themselves, but from past traumas that were never dealt with properly, and triggered again and again until they spiralled out of control.”

Seungmin raised his voice then, for the entire courtroom to hear, forcing his voice to remain steady despite the fluttering nerves in his body. “The scattered killing patterns were never planned. The correlations between the victims and causes of death don’t show a serial killer’s M.O., they show triggers.” He took a shaky breath.

“Ladies and gentlemen, this isn’t a serial killer case. It isn’t the case of a psychopath on some nonsensical, murderous rampage. This is the aftereffect of a domestic violence case gone cold and swept under the rug over a decade ago — and we can’t afford to let it slip away again.”

The judge fixed Seungmin with a cold, steely look over her glasses. “Prosecutor Kim. Remember that you cannot — should not — let your emotions get in the way in a court of law. You are supposed to assess the case with cold reasoning and logic.”

Seungmin looked down, heart hammering in his throat. The Kim Seungmin he knew would have been ashamed, and apologised immediately. The Kim Seungmin he knew would have thought he was crazy for crossing the line.

He realised, in that moment, that he hated the old Kim Seungmin with a passion.

“Emotions don’t always get in the way,” he found himself saying, eyes flickering to you in the audience, “and they don’t always make you weak.” Seungmin thought of Prosecutor Kang then, and his voice grew stronger. “If anything, they keep you human.”

He looked back up at the judge now, whose face had frozen in surprise. “When did justice become so cold? We’re taught that the law is supposed to protect the vulnerable, not prosecute them.”

The judge looked visibly shaken, mouth opening and closing wordlessly as her eyes darted wildly between Seungmin and Jisung. Finally, with an unfathomable expression on her face, she turned towards the jury, clearing her throat unsteadily.

“Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, that concludes the evidence to be presented on this case. You are now to deliberate, and determine whether or not Han Jisung is guilty of nineteen counts of first-degree murder, assault, and arson.

“If you believe that this has been proved beyond a reasonable doubt, then you should find the defendant guilty, and eligible for capital punishment.”

Capital punishment, you thought, the words sweeping a breath of cold across the room. The death penalty.

“The court stands adjourned until the verdict of the jury.”

━━━━━━━━

Over an hour had passed since the jury had stepped into the deliberation suite, and each tick of the clock on the wall made you more and more nauseous. You put your head down, hands buried in your hair as if that could calm the anxiety thrumming through your veins. A few times, you had heard shouting and angry, raised voices coming from the room the jury was in. Each passing minute seemed to make the weight of the situation more obvious, the tension in the courtroom thick and suffocating.

Felix was rubbing your back as soothingly as he could. “y/n, hey, look at me — deep breaths, okay? You’re okay—”

He was cut off when you lifted your head to look at him, cursing the tears already welling in your eyes. You hated feeling this way — you felt so weak and powerless, and just imagining how much of a mess you must have looked made it even worse. You promised yourself you would stay calm, but every thought that crossed your mind kept leading to another until you were exhausted and overwhelmed.

“They could walk out any minute, ‘lix,” you told him, voice wavering as the weight of your own words sunk in. “They could walk out any minute, and end his life.”

You couldn’t even say Jisung’s name out loud, let alone look him in the eyes. Felix watched as you wiped furiously at your own tears, the sight of you so distressed rendering him speechless, and he did the only thing he could think of. Grimly, your best friend pulled you into a hug, and his reassuring warmth in the cold courtroom made you want to break down all over again. Around you, you could hear mixed opinions being exchanged.

“That poor boy.”

“Who could have guessed the case would take a turn like this? But do you believe him?”

“A murderer is still a murderer — he’s too dangerous to be left alive, don’t you think?”

You were beginning to wish you had taken Hyunjin and Woojin’s offer to step out of the room for fresh air when the heavy doors swung open, making a hush fall over the room. The jury filed in just as Hyunjin and the police captain returned and took their seats.

“Order in the court,” the clerk called, and the judge cleared her throat.

“Has the jury reached a unanimous verdict?”

The forewoman nodded grimly. “Yes, Your Honour.”

“Those in favour of sentencing the accused, Han Jisung, to capital punishment, please rise.”

The words sent an icy shock down your spine, the entire room seeming to hold its breath as they watched the jury. You didn’t dare move, as if by doing so, you could prevent the next moments from coming crashing down on you, as if somehow, you could stop the horrible verdict from coming true. It was as if everyone had frozen still, time stopping for what felt like the longest moment of your life.

The ticking of the clock pricked your ears, and you suddenly realised that time hadn’t stopped.

No one in the jury had moved to stand up.

“The jury returns a verdict of not guilty, despite believing that the accused committed the crimes he is charged with,” the forewoman standing at the front of the jury said, and the members behind her nodded. “This verdict was unanimous.”

“They all agree that Jisung killed those people,” you heard Hyunjin’s stunned voice behind you, “but they’re returning a verdict of not guilty? What does that mean?”

“Jury nullification,” both Chan and Seungmin spoke at the same time, and the room turned to look at the younger prosecutor as he spoke up.

“The jury has the right to overturn the law, if they believe the law was used incorrectly—”

A reporter behind you blurted out angrily, “Are you suggesting that the murders were delusional, Prosecutor Kim?”

“Or,” Seungmin continued, his voice growing stronger than ever before as he saw the eyes of the judge and his coworkers widen in disbelief. I must be insane, he thought, but he couldn’t stop the words coming from his mouth. “Or, the jury disagrees with the law the prosecution has chosen to charge the defendant under.” He picked up Prosecutor Kang’s case file from the desk, flipping over the papers. “First degree murder.”

The forewoman nodded. “The law Han Jisung is being tried with was immorally and wrongly applied to him in the first place. We believe he caused the killings, without a doubt, but with the circumstances presented, we cannot convict him of serial first degree murder.”

“The previous prosecutor claimed these charges without making any effort to consider Han Jisung’s past,” one man on the jury added, “All the evidence proves a history of abuse and trauma that lead to an unstable mental condition.”

Their words sounded strangely familiar, and your eyes immediately widened when you realised why. “Those — those are the words from my psych report,” you whispered breathlessly to Felix, “Quoted, word for word. They must have all read your articles — we did it, ‘lix, it really worked.”

“But murder is murder. He should be held accountable,” a spectator protested across the room. He was immediately silenced by the bailiff, but not before Seungmin turned to him with a steady stare.

“‘Murder is murder’,” Seungmin echoed, “‘The world of law is cold.’ ‘The law is harsh, but it is the law.’ Those are the phrases you always hear in court. And those are the same beliefs that cost vulnerable people their lives.”

Hyunjin looked at Jeongin, whose gaze were cast to the floor, eyes stormy.

Seungmin continued, “You lose your empathy, and mark complex cases like these under ‘mass murderer’, or ‘psychopath’ without bothering to truly investigate the gray areas, because you think doing so would be—” his mind flashed to Kang, “a waste of time.” He looked at Jisung now, a boy who had been confined by labels his entire life: problem child, delinquent, murderer, monster. “Han Jisung is worth more than that. There’s more to him than his past, than his abusers, than the mental torment he’s suffered through for years.

“He’s a boy who never got the chance at life he deserved. The system has failed him once, and we cannot — should not — hold his trial like this.” Seungmin turned to the judge one last time, eyes burning with sincerity. “Your Honour. Will you end this vicious cycle of use and abuse, once and for all? Or will you choose, once again, to sweep it back into the shadows?”

She was staring back at him with a look that should have petrified Seungmin on the spot, but he swallowed hard, forcing himself to stand his ground. There was a long, weighted silence. Finally, the judge shook her head slowly, and Seungmin swore he saw the smallest of smiles tug at her taut mouth as she turned to face the rest of the courtroom.

You felt your heart nearly leap out of your throat when the verdict finally fell from the judge’s lips.

“I hereby pronounce Han Jisung...not guilty.”

If you hadn’t been sitting down, you were sure you would have collapsed onto the floor.

The world was spinning around you, the sheer relief washing over you in overwhelming waves and turning your limbs to jelly. In your peripheral vision, you saw Hyunjin’s mouth drop open in astonishment, Felix turning to you with an incredulous smile on his face, Chan and Woojin completely frozen.

You barely registered the judge’s voice as she continued speaking, the rest of her words passing through you as if you were made of thin air. Pardoned on the death of his father and the arson of his childhood home by reason of self-defense. Regarding the Miroh Heights killings, the defendant was unable to understand the significance of his criminal actions due to a pre-existing mental condition. He is acquitted from the death penalty, and will serve no prison time.

However, he will be transferred to a psychiatric institution and closely monitored for the time being. The suitable amount of time he is to spend there will be prescribed on a later date after the case is properly re-examined...

People were talking around you, one of your friends was calling your name, and you swore you even heard a few people clapping, but you weren’t listening anymore. There was only one other person on your mind.

When your eyes found Jisung’s face, he was looking straight at you — with the same look in his eyes that had given you butterflies the first time you met him, and the same look in his eyes you had seen before you had fallen unconscious, bleeding out in his arms.

He was looking at you like you were the only thing that mattered in the world.

━━━━━━━━

“You had some nerve back there, Prosecutor Kim.”

The courtroom had been emptied out, and Seungmin had been collecting his files and notes when he heard a voice from behind him. At first, he thought he had misheard — people were buzzing outside in the lobby, the commotion so loud it seemed to be humming through the walls — but he turned around, and saw the judge walking up to him.

Bits and pieces of the trial came back to him, and Seungmin cringed inwardly as he met her hard gaze. Just how many lines had he crossed? Years of being careful, meticulous, completely down the drain—

“You had some nerve back there,” she repeated, and Seungmin lowered his eyes. He heard her sigh deeply. “But you’re a fine prosecutor, Kim.”

Stunned, Seungmin raised his head, and realised with a start that she was smiling at him. “I haven’t seen your kind in a while. It was refreshing, to say the least, and it puts me at ease to know that this field still has people like you.”

She tucked her glasses into her robes, turning to leave.

“Never change, Prosecutor Kim.”

━━━━━━━━

“Prosecutor Kang, look this way!”

Kang was blinded by flashing cameras the moment he stepped out from the holding cell. The older prosecutor’s eyes were dark as he was pushed through the mob of reporters and citizens, the guards flanking him making no effort to be gentle.

“Is it true you hid crucial evidence from your own prosecution?”

“Did you bribe your own witnesses?”

“How many other cases have you tampered with?”

“None!” Kang snarled at the reporter, desperation rising in his throat like bile. “Lies—I’ve never wrongfully convicted a single person. These are all—”

“You’re the liar.”

The crowd stopped, turning towards the voice that had shouted over them. Yang Jeongin was standing at the end of the hallway, his hands balled into fists at his sides. Just the sight of Kang was enough to make him tremble like a young child again, words stuck momentarily in his throat. This was the same man he had met in court all those years ago, the man who had mercilessly delivered his father’s life sentence with a snakelike smile on his pale lips. Taking a shaky breath, Jeongin mustered up his courage, and ran up to him.

“Please stop this already,” Jeongin pleaded, eyes searching Kang’s bewildered face for signs of guilt, remorse, anything. Kang didn’t seem to recognise him, and the young boy’s voice was breaking as he fought back tears. “Please tell the truth, just this once. I-I don’t know why you’re doing this, but—it doesn’t have to be this way—”

There was a gasp as a few reporters stumbled, and the crowd rippled forward. Kang was knocked off-balance, tumbling to the ground. He cursed, fumbling to get back on his feet — and saw a hand, outstretched towards him from a hoodie sleeve that was clearly too large for its owner. He looked up into the young boy’s face again, his fox-like eyes widened in concern, and finally realised with a jolt who he was talking to.

Nearly a decade ago, Kang thought — an old fool who had picked a fight with high-ranking company officials, no? And then the crackpot had pleaded with Kang, saying something about a son he had to take care of — a young boy—

Jeongin put his hand on Kang’s arm when the prosecutor didn’t move, and pulled him up. “Mr. Kang, my father—”

Feeling a sudden rage surge through his body, Kang drew his fist back and punched the boy across his jaw.

Jeongin crumpled to the ground, the side of his face already blooming with red. “You brat,” Kang seethed as cries of horror erupted from the crowd, guards seizing him and trying to pull him away. “What do you understand? Han Jisung, your old man — people like them don’t deserve to walk free.”

You had just stepped out of the courtroom when a commotion in the hallway had made you look over, the scene that had greeted your eyes making you freeze. Jeongin had been clutching Prosecutor Kang’s arm, looking up at the older man imploringly — and his expression had been genuinely kind, almost pitying, his mouth opening and closing frantically as though he were pleading with him. You had shaken your head in disbelief, trying to push through the throng of shocked citizens — only Yang Jeongin’s heart was big enough to look his parents’ tormentor in the eyes, and help him.

Then Kang had suddenly struck Jeongin, and now the delivery boy was curling up in pain on the ground as the prosecutor screamed at him.

“They were foolish enough — depraved enough — to violate those laws, and I charged them with what they deserved. It’s as simple as—”

The next thing you knew, you were in front of Kang, palm outstretched, and you had slapped him hard across the face.

The entire crowd fell dead silent, Jeongin looking up at you from the floor in dazed disbelief. Even Kang was speechless as he looked back at you, holding his jaw, eyes about to pop out of their sockets.

“It seems like you know everything about law, Prosecutor Kang,” you said, voice shaking with anger, “but you know nothing about being human.”

Kang opened his mouth, but for once, nothing came out. The hallway was erupting in chaos again as cameras clicked and flashed eagerly. The guards began to drag Kang away before it could get more hectic, your last glimpses of the corrupt prosecutor disappearing behind the reporters’ bobbing heads. As you helped Jeongin up, checking his head worriedly, you felt a hand pull at your own arm. You turned to see Hyunjin, and judging by the look on his face, he had seen everything.

“Is this just going to be a thing now?” The barista asked, side-eyeing you wearily as he held onto Jeongin protectively, “Are you just going to start slapping everyone who crosses you?”

“Maybe,” you muttered mutinously. “It’s faster, and less emotionally draining than negotiating.”

“You’re studying to be a therapist, y/n,” Hyunjin reminded you exasperatedly, and you let out a small laugh, pouting slightly. The barista smiled too, despite himself, and you both looked over at Jeongin. The boy’s eyes were staring over the crowd’s heads, through the lobby doors, and you realised he was watching the officers push Kang into the police cruiser — the man who had ruined his parents’ lives, finally handcuffed and headed where he was supposed to be.

You turned around, and caught sight of another familiar face further down the hallway, standing perfectly still despite the crowd of people rushing past around him.

Lee Minho’s face was turned away from you, his catlike eyes staring at something with the same, unfathomable expression you had come to grow so accustomed to. You remembered how you had once been afraid of the coroner and his strange, standoffish manner, but now, as you watched him from afar, you felt a small pang of sympathy. Minho always carried himself like a ghost, you realised — a shadow lingering in the corners of rooms and corridors, unsure if he was ever wanted.

You quickly excused yourself from Hyunjin and Jeongin and you began to push through the crowd towards the coroner. As you followed his gaze to the holding cell doors, they suddenly swung open, and Jisung stepped out into the hallway. Your steps slowed. The two stood facing each other for several long moments — two childhood friends, two lost children who had found their only sense of family — twisted though it had been — in each other. Minho’s face was hesitant, as if about to turn away, but Jisung had already begun walking up to him. You were too far away to hear what they were saying, Jisung’s back turned to you and Minho awkwardly shifting from one foot to the other.

Then Jisung suddenly closed the gap between the two of them, and pulled Minho into a hug.

You watched as the ex-coroner’s mask finally shattered, the older boy’s face scrunching up like a child’s as he buried his head in Jisung’s shoulder. His entire body shook with silent sobs, as if something in him had finally been let go, a burden he had carried his entire life lifted off his chest.

Eventually, the guards stepped forward, and Minho pulled away. He looked at Jisung with a small smile on his face — the first genuine smile you had ever seen from him — and you managed to catch the words forming on his lips.

“Goodbye, Han Jisung.”

“He’ll probably need to go through a trial of his own.” Chan’s voice made you jump in surprise. He had come up beside you while you had been distracted, Felix and Woojin close behind him. He nodded at you by way of greeting before turning back to where Jisung was standing. “The coroner, I mean. But he’ll likely get around five years in prison, more or less.”

You watched as Minho was ushered away into another corridor, Jisung staring at the empty spot where he had once stood. Before you could reply, he turned around, eyes landing on yours — and all of a sudden, you forgot about the security guards flanking every doorway, the law officials and reporters brushing briskly past you. For a moment, it was as if it were only you and Jisung in the hallway, the entire world standing still around the two of you.

Since the last time you had spoken to him had ended with you slapping him in the face, you decided that it was only right for you to take the first step towards him. Slowly, feeling as if you were in a dream, you made your way towards him, Jisung walking the rest of the way to meet you in the middle.

“Hey, you.” Jisung’s voice was soft, nearly inaudible, not taking his hazel eyes off yours.

You heard Chan chuckle behind you, shaking his head as he threw his arms around Felix and Woojin’s shoulders to steer them away and leave you two in private. The hallways had nearly cleared out, and for the first time in what felt like forever — if you ignored the guards watching a little ways off from the holding cells — you and Jisung were alone together.

There were a thousand things racing through your mind right now, but you couldn’t seem to find the right words to say.

“Five years,” Jisung tentatively broke the silence again, and when you looked back at him in confusion, he continued, “in the psychiatric institute. They told me five years minimum, on watch. But I heard...it’s a nice place.”

His lopsided, sheepish smile was as infectious as ever, making one tug at your own lips. When Jisung saw you smile, he relaxed just the tiniest amount.

“Y-you’re going to be okay?” You finally asked, feeling your voice waver.

Jisung’s gaze softened, nodding. “You saved me.”

“No.” You shook your head firmly. You knew he was talking about Seungmin’s arguments, Jeongin’s witness statements, the article you and Felix had published — but it all might have been for nothing, you thought, mind flashing back to the courtroom, if Jisung hadn’t finally stepped up from his chair and faced his lifelong traumas in the form of one last, truthful testimony. “Han Jisung, you saved yourself.”

He fell silent at that, and you saw his hand instinctively move towards yours for a split second before he quickly stopped himself. Jisung’s arms were floating by his sides, as if wanting to pull you close, but he was holding himself back. He was afraid, you finally realised — afraid that you would push him away, afraid to ever hurt you again. And for some, inexplicable reason, the idea of a rift between the two of you that could never be repaired seemed to hurt even more than a switchblade to the heart.

“For some reason, I’ve been thinking back to our first date,” Jisung cleared his throat, one hand reaching up to rub the back of his neck. He probably looked like a nervous schoolboy in front of his first love, Jisung thought, cringing at himself as he looked away from your curious gaze. Well, he added as an afterthought, that wouldn’t be too far off.

You were his first love, after all.

“I...I didn’t know how you felt that day,” Jisung continued, “or even the days after that, to be honest. I didn’t know if I was doing things right, or—”

“You took my breath away,” you cut him off, the honesty in your own words making your cheeks heat up. You thought back to the diner, to the blond boy who had rendered you speechless with a single heart-shaped smile. As an afterthought, you brought a hand to your rib cage, where a switchblade in that same boy’s hands had once punctured through your lungs, and you deadpanned, “literally.”

Eyebrows raising in disbelief, Jisung gave an incredulous laugh, but his gaze was fixed on the site of your wound. You could still see the deep guilt in his eyes, and, taking a deep breath, you reached for his hand, gingerly placing it where the knife had been. His skin was cool against your fingers, palm rough but familiar. “I’m okay, Jisung. It’s okay. But...why bring that up, all of a sudden?”

“I feel like that now,” he admitted softly, “the same feeling, but with a whole new set of butterflies. Always thinking about you, worrying about you. Wondering how you feel about…”

“Us,” you finished for him, and Jisung nodded slowly. Us. The word hung between the two of you for a long moment, and you took a shaky breath. A part of you wanted to reassure him, to pull him into your arms as if nothing had ever changed. But another part of you pushed that feeling away, knowing deep down that it was too late, that too much had already happened between the two of you to just ignore.

“I don’t know,” you answered truthfully, and you looked down, afraid to see the expression on his face. “I woke up that morning, and you were just...gone. I was so scared for you, I went looking for you...then one thing lead to another, and before we all knew it, the world had turned upside down. I-it might sound selfish, but after all...this, I think I’m going to need some...time.” You finally lifted your eyes up to his face, heart pounding. For a terrifying second, you thought you saw a flash of pain skip across Jisung’s pupils — but before you could be sure, his face broke into a relieved smile.

“You’ve always been like this, you know?” He sighed, one hand reaching up to gently tuck a strand of your hair behind your ear. Then, contrary to what you had expected, Jisung visibly relaxed. “Worrying about other people before taking care of yourself. You’re not being selfish, okay? Don’t...worry about hurting me anymore.”

You stared at him, the genuine warmth in his words suddenly making your throat close up with stunned tears. Jisung’s eyes, you remembered, had always seemed glazed over and unfocused — as if his mind was trapped somewhere else, far, far away. But as he looked back at you now, you were suddenly hit by how...clear they had become. He was here, perfectly focused on you, eyes filled with what you could only describe as pure adoration.

“I need time, too,” Jisung continued quickly, “I have...so many things I need to fix, to work on, and get better at—”

You shook your head furiously then, tears spilling onto your cheeks as you held onto his wrist. “W-want to love every part of you,” you whispered, forcing your voice to remain steady. “Don’t...don’t hide any parts of yourself, ever again. Okay?”

Jisung watched you for a long moment, brow furrowed as he gingerly wiped your tears, and finally gave a small nod. He cradled your face in his hands, eyes trying to memorise your features as though you were the most beautiful thing he would ever see. To someone else, you thought vaguely, you might have looked insane. A killer’s hands, they might have said, bloodstained hands. But as you gazed up at Jisung, all you saw was a boy who had gone through hell and came back smiling, a boy who loved you more than life itself.

You heard footsteps approaching, and looked up to see several security guards making their way towards Jisung. “Mr. Han,” one called gruffly, “it’s time to go.”

The sudden interruption made your mind go blank momentarily as any reasonable words — goodbye, take care — immediately dissolved on your tongue. The guards were getting closer and closer, and Jisung turned back to you, stammering.

“If you ever want to—to do this whole...love thing again, start over properly, I—I promise I’ll try not to screw it up. I mean, if you’re sure—and only if you’re sure,” he paused then, sounding suddenly flustered, and for a second, he was your tousled-hair, golden boy from the diner again, soft cheeks flushed like windblown peach roses, eyes unsure yet hopeful as a child’s. This was the boy you had fallen in love with, over blueberry pancakes and Chinese takeout, on seemingly endless nights and through the darkest thunderstorms. Ever since you had made that promise, in a children’s playground beneath the setting sun, you knew that somehow, no matter what fate had left in store, you would always find your way back to him.

Jisung was already being ushered away, the sudden absence of his touch on your skin leaving you feeling empty — but his last words brought a smile to your tearstained face.

“...I’ll be waiting.”

ryu says:

thank you, from the bottom of my heart, to everyone who made it to the end of this series; to everyone who came on this long journey with me, you made it possible and amazing every step of the way. at times, as my first ever series and long-term project, it was both daunting and terrifying, but i am beyond happy and honoured i could experience it with you.

i’ll see you in the epilogue.

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